MUMBAI, July 29 -- Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has directed the state home department to issue orders to withdraw the cases registered against protesters in Maharashtra who supported the recent agitation led by the Cockroach Janta Party's demand for the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio, issued the directive on Tuesday, a day after Bihar and Assam announced the withdrawal of similar cases. Close on the heels of the chief minister's order, the state home department held a meeting to discuss the withdrawal of cases but, according to a home department official, the exercise may be more complicated than it appears. While the chief minister's announcement sounds reassuring, it masks a legal process that kicks in as soon as an FIR is registered. Such cases - which include FIRs against all political and social protesters - are subject to administrative and police scrutiny as well as judicial approval, a process that could take months. On the number of protesters that could be impacted, a large number of them students, the official said, "Although the number of cases is not yet available, it is expected to run into dozens." He added, "There is no legal provision to simply withdraw an FIR. Due process must be followed." The official said that under Section 360 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), after an FIR is registered, police must conduct an investigation and file a charge-sheet in the case. The process must be completed within 90 days of registering the FIR. The case is then reviewed by district- and city-level committees before it is brought before a local court for trial. It is at this stage that the police can request the court to allow them to drop the charges and withdraw the FIR, said the official. The most the police can do is expedite the process of filing a charge-sheet by not taking any action against the individuals named in the FIR. "Cases rejected by the district-level committees or those referred directly to the state-level committee are placed before a cabinet sub-committee headed by cultural affairs minister Ashish Shelar. This entire process takes months, as only cases in which charge-sheets have been filed are considered for withdrawal," said another home department official. There is no precedent where Section 360 of the BNSS has been bypassed for an FIR to be quashed, he added. The official also said the home department routinely issues orders for withdrawal of cases against social and political protesters who are charge-sheeted. The latest order was issued on July 21 and covers protests up to July 31. If this cut-off is extended, protesters booked in the recent student agitation could be covered by it, somewhat contracting the timeline for them as a fresh order would not have to be issued, the official explained. "Most of the cases against the youth were registered after July 20, after the lathi charge on protesters at Jantar Mantar in Delhi. Mumbai, Pune and other cities in Maharashtra. Since charge-sheets against them are unlikely to be filed before July 31, the July 31 cut-off would have to be extended, the official added. It is only cases involving loss of life or damage to public or private property exceeding Rs.5 lakh that cannot be withdrawn under any circumstances, he said. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Tuesday demanded the immediate withdrawal of FIRs and notices issued to young protesters who participated in the CJP demonstrations, and the withdrawal of notices issued to individuals for expressing their views against the government or sharing posts and reels on social media. He also asked chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to clarify his position on the alleged MHT-CET irregularities in Maharashtra. "There are allegations of a paper leak in the MHT-CET exam and chief minister Fadnavis should clarify his stand on this, especially since admission rounds are about to start," said Thackeray, adding that the government should not attempt to divert attention from the issue. He also assured legal support to protesters in the recent CJP student agitation. He said those facing cases due to the protest could email the party's legal cell on: shivsenaubtlegal @gmail.com....