The Bihar government on Saturday withdrew the criminal case against Union Minister Mohammed Taslimuddin.

This was announced by state Law Minister Shakeel Ahmed Khan after a high-level meeting held at Chief Minister Rabri Devi's residence.

Claiming that the state government was empowered to review such cases as the prosecutor had submitted that no case was made out against the Union minister and even the complainant later withdrew the charges, Khan said, "We decided to drop the case."

BJP national vice-president Sushil Kumar Modi had on Thursday revealed to the media that a case under various sections of IPC, Arms Act and Explosive Substance Act was registered against Taslimuddin at Araria police station and an Araria court had in March 2000 ordered attachment of his property after Bihar Police failed to execute a non-bailable arrest warrant against him.

Asked whether the government decision did not not amount to interfering in the functioning of the judiciary as an Araria court had not dropped the proceedings in this case, Khan said the decision was taken with the consent of senior advocates and state law officers.

Launching a vitriolic attack against the BJP for continuing a tirade against Taslimuddin, Khan said, "Communal forces were bent upon maligning the image of the ministers in the secular UPA government."

"First Class Judicial Magistrate A L Yadav had on August 23, 1999 issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against Taslimuddin and later on March 9, 2000 ordered the attachment of his property and that of 12 other accused after the police failed to execute the arrest warrants against them," Modi had said.

The Union minister had neither cared to surrender before the court nor nor did the police obey the court's order since then, he said urging the chairman of Rajya Sabha and speaker of the Lok Sabha to ask him to resign and surrender.

Taslimuddin had yesterday moved the Delhi high court seeking transit bail for eight weeks to enable him to approach the trial court in Araria for relief. While issuing a notice to the Bihar Police, the court had fixed August 17 for further hearing.