Raipur, The Chhattisgarh Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, took several key decisions on Wednesday, providing a major push to Naxal rehabilitation, legal reform, and financial planning in the state. The meeting, held at the Chief Minister’s residence, approved a structured process for withdrawing criminal cases against surrendered Naxalites, greenlit a major legal simplification bill, and cleared the supplementary budget.
A significant decision taken was the approval of a structured process for the disposal and withdrawal of criminal cases registered against surrendered Naxalites. The move is aimed at strengthening the state’s rehabilitation framework and encouraging more extremists to return to the mainstream.

As per the decision, a Cabinet Sub-Committee will be constituted to scrutinise and review cases recommended for withdrawal from courts. The process is aligned with the Chhattisgarh Naxal Surrender, Victim Relief and Rehabilitation Policy 2025, which allows the government to consider withdrawing cases based on the surrendered individual’s good conduct and contribution towards eliminating Naxalism.

Under the new procedure, district-level committees will first examine individual cases and submit reports to the Police Headquarters. After receiving legal scrutiny and opinion from the Law Department, eligible cases will be presented to the Cabinet Sub-Committee. Matters approved by the sub-committee will then require final Cabinet approval before being forwarded to the concerned District Magistrate through the Public Prosecutor for initiating withdrawal proceedings before the competent court. Cases involving central laws will require prior approval from the Government of India.

In a major legal reform, the Cabinet approved the draft of the Chhattisgarh Jan Vishwas (Provisions Amendment) (Second) Bill, 2025. This proposed legislation aims to amend 14 state Acts by simplifying 116 provisions to make laws more citizen-friendly and business-oriented.

The government noted that many existing laws prescribe imprisonment or heavy fines for minor violations, leading to prolonged court cases. The Bill seeks to reduce litigation and lessen the burden on courts by introducing administrative penalties instead of criminal prosecution for minor offences.

Chhattisgarh became the first state in the country to introduce a second edition of such comprehensive legal simplification legislation, following the first Jan Vishwas Amendment Act earlier in 2025, which had amended 163 provisions across eight Acts. The Cabinet noted that the new amendments will help update outdated penalty amounts, thereby improving compliance and strengthening governance mechanisms.

The Cabinet also approved the Chhattisgarh Appropriation Bill, 2025. This approval paves the way for the presentation of the first supplementary budget estimates for the financial year 2025–26 in the Legislative Assembly. This legislative authorisation is required for additional expenditure on new schemes, ongoing development projects, and administrative commitments during the current financial year.