AHMEDABAD: Twenty-nine years after then Gujarat minister Atmaram Patel’s dhoti was pulled during a BJP function at Sardar Patel Stadium, a city sessions court on Thursday dropped the criminal case against former Union minister A K Patel, one of the two first BJP Lok Sabha members.Another BJP politician, Mangaldas Patel, was also an accused in the case, registered at Naranpura police station under IPC Section 307 (attempt to murder) for allegedly assaulting and pulling off the minister’s dhoti in 1996.The accused had backed Shankersinh Vaghela at the time of his rift with then chief minister Keshubhai Patel. The incident occurred immediately after BJP’s Atal Bihari Vajpayee had finished addressing the party gathering.Public prosecutor Sudhir Brahmbhatt filed an application under CrPC Section 321 seeking withdrawal of the case against the 95-year-old former MP. The co-accused in the case, Mangaldas Patel, and witness (victim) Atmaram Patel, had passed away during the pendency of the trial.After hearing the submissions, additional sessions judge H G Pandya observed: “The case involves an internal political party dispute that occurred 28 years ago, and the victim, Atmarambhai Maganbhai Patel, has passed away… The public prosecutor’s request to withdraw the case appears to be made with bona fide intentions, and sufficient consideration has been given to withdrawing the prosecution. Therefore, considering the records and the nature of the offence, it is appropriate to grant permission to withdraw the prosecution under Section 321 of CrPC in the interest of justice.“Earlier, on Jan 30, 2018, a metropolitan court had dropped a related criminal case against 41 BJP workers and politicians, including VHP leader Pravin Togadia and BJP MLA from Daskroi Babu Jamna Patel.