Chennai: Madras High Court has quashed cases of rioting, attempt to murder and unlawful assembly registered against more than 1,000 members of Popular Front of India (PFI) in connection with a clash with police during a rally taken out in Ramanathapuram district in February this year.

Madras HC Justice G M Akbar Ali, in a petition filed by 19 persons named in the cases, said it would be a farce to slap unlawful assembly charges on the petitioners after having allowed the rally.

The PFI workers had clashed with police when the latter objected to alleged deviation in the route of the ‘unity march’ taken out by the organisation on its foundation day.

Cases were registered against 1,000 unknown persons besides these 19 petitioners.

“There are more number of injured on the organiser’s side than police side,” the judge said, adding police personnnel had suffered only minor injuries and were treated as out-patients.

Holding that no useful purpose would be served in probing the FIR against 1,000 unnamed persons and the 19 others, the judge quashed the entire case.