Karnataka government has decided to drop TADA cases against 51 suspected associates of forest brigand Veerappan who is holding Kannada film icon Rajkumar and three others hostage, Chief Minister S M Krishna announced in Bangalore on Sunday.

Krishna told reporters on his arrival from Chennai, where he and his Tamil Nadu counterpart M Karunanidhi discussed and responded to the ten demands of Veerappan in return for the release of the hostages, that TADA was no longer on the statute book and those booked under it could be granted bail.


Krishna said that the detenues had been in custody for seven years. Five TADA detenues were also there in Tamil Nadu, an official source said.
It was one of the ten demands of Veerapan that innocent persons who were languishing in Karnataka jails should be released. Report: Zeenext Bureau