A special CBI court in Chhattisgarh's Raipur has discharged senior Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel in a 2017 alleged sex CD case. Citing lack of evidence, Special Magistrate (CBI), Raipur, Bhupesh Kumar Basant considered Baghel's discharge application. He noted that there was no sufficient evidence to prove the allegations levelled against him in the chargesheet filed in the case.
It is a big relief for Baghel and joyous over the decisiontook to X and posted "Satyamev Jayate" (truth alone triumphs).
What was sex CD case
In 2017, massive clashes were witnessed between the ruling BJP party and opposition Congress after a "sleaze video" allegedly involving then-Public Works Department Minister Rajesh Munat surfaced. The video was released after the arrest of a senior journalist and Baghel's close aide Vinod Verma.
Following this, a case of blackmail and extortion was registered at Pandri police station in Raipur on a complaint filed by then BJP leader Prakash Bajaj, who alleged he was being harassed over phone by an unidentified caller who told him that "he had a CD of his 'aaka' (master)". After an investigation, a search team was sent to Delhi and Verma was arrested from Ghaziabad on October 27, 2017.
500 CDs were recovered
As per the police, 500 CDs and pen drives, among other items were recovered. Verma then claimed he had a sex CD of a Chhattisgarh minister. The state government recommended a CBI probe into the matter.
On September 24, 2018, the CBI filed a chargesheet in its special court here, naming Baghel, Verma and three others as accused persons in the case. Among the other accused, Rinku Khanuja - a Raipur-based automobile dealer - committed suicide in June 2018 when the CBI investigation was still on.
Charges were framed against the accused under sections 469 (forgery for purpose of harming reputation), 471 (using as genuine a forged document) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and section 67A (whoever publishes or transmits or causes to be published or transmitted in the electronic form any material which contains sexually explicit act) of the Information Technology Act.
(PTI inputs)
