Mangalore : In a move that has brought smiles on the faces of journalists, the State Cabinet, on June 13, Thursday, has decided to withdraw the criminal cases registered against Naveen Soorinje, a reporter of Kasturi Channel  in the Padil homestay attack case.The move comes  almost  eight months after the arrest of Naveen on November 7 last year.

Though the erstwhile BJP government had promised to withdraw the cases, it had failed to keep up its promise. Meanwhile, the  Karnataka High Court had granted bail to Naveen on March 23.

Naveen who had been to the homestay to cover the incident  wherein Hindu Jagarana Vedike activists brutally assaulted some partying youngsters, had been booked under the same charges under which the other assailants were booked. He was also blamed for airing the video clippings of the incident on TV. Even TV Cameraman Sharan had been arrested in this case.

The arrest of Naveen and Sharan had sparked protests with the scribes associations too making a vehement demand for his release. Recently, the DK District Working Journalists Union too had submitted a memorandum to District Minister Ramanatha Rai, seeking dropping of cases against Naveen.