By Fazal Shahab, Muslim Mirror,

Lucknow, April 24: Uttar Pradesh government has ordered withdrawal of a case against Tariq Qasmi, who is currently in jail for serial blasts that took place in Faizabad and Lucknow on November 23, 2007. The case being withdrawn is related to three blasts in Gorakhpur on May 22, 2007, in which 6 people were injured.

This is the first ever case of freeing innocent Muslims from fabricated terror cases in Uttar Pradesh. Samajwadi Party had promised in its election manifesto to free innocent Muslims from fabricated cases of terror arrests.

Home Secretary Sarvesh Chandra Misra told reporters here Wednesday that the state government decided to withdraw the case after consultation with the department of justice and taking reports from district magistrate and police superintendent of Gorakhpur. Tariq Qasmi is facing charges under explosives act and attempt to murder.

“Department of justice will write to the concerned court, DM and SSP informing them about the decision of the government” said Misra.

Home Secretary further said “Justice R D Nimesh Commission has put doubts over claims of UP STF of arresting Tariq Qasmi and Khalid from Barabanki railway station”.

STF had claimed to have arrested Tariq and Khalid from Barabanki on December 22, 2007 with explosives; but Nimesh Commission found that Tariq was picked up from Azamgarh on December 12, 2007 and Khalid from Jaunpur on December 16, 2007,  by STF sleuths in plain cloths. An FIR was registered on December 14, in Rani ki Sarai police station about Tariq being picked up by unknown people.

Advocate Mohammad Shoeb who is the council for Tariq Qasmi in Lucknow said that government will have to file an application in the concerned court under section 321 of Criminal Procedure Code, to withdraw the case.

Recently an application was sent to chief justice of India requesting him to take note of Justice Nimesh Commission’s report and order the state government to take action accordingly.

A single member Nimesh Commission was constituted on March 14, 2008 by the previous Mayawati Government to probe the allegation of fabricated arrest of Tariq Qasmi and Khalid Mujahid by STF. The commission submitted its report to the UP government on August 31, 2012.

Samajwadi Party government is under immense pressure to quash cases against Tariq and Khalid, as the contents of the report have come out in open accusing state police of high handedness and fabrication, though state government has not formally made it public, neither it has been tabled in the legislative assembly.

Both Tariq and Khalid are lodged in Lucknow jail.