Jayalalithaa withdraws cases against Karunanidhi Tuesday, May 18 2004 14:06 Hrs (IST)
Chennai:
Less than a week of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's (AIADMK) rout in the Lok Sabha polls, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa today (May 18, 2004) announced withdrawal of several decisions, which led to public uproar and was exploited by her political rivals in the polls, including the controversial anti conversion law.
She also announced restoration of free power to farmers, cancellation of all punishments imposed on Government employees for their participation in the strike in July last and withdrawal of defamation cases against the press including 'The Hindu'.
In a statement, she also said a resolution would be moved in the State Assembly to drop all proceedings in connection with privilege issues against 'The Hindu' and other newspapers, which led to issuance of arrest warrants against six senior journalists, including the then editor of 'The Hindu' N Ravi.
Jayalalithaa also announced withdrawal of cases against political leaders including Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president M Karunanidhi filed under Tamil Nadu Essential Services Maintenance Act (TESMA) for allegedly instigating the Government staff to go on strike.