CBI Court Reverses Discharge Of Bhupesh Baghel In Sex CD Case | Chhattisgarh

Raipur:  A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Raipur on Saturday reversed the discharge of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel in the 2017 sex CD case. Baghel will now have to face a fresh trial unless a higher court grants him relief. The ex-CM faces trial under Section 67(2) of the Information Technology Act and other sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

This comes a year after the Congress leader was discharged of all charges in the case due to a lack of sufficient evidence.

Bhupesh Baghel and his aides are accused of tarnishing the image of BJP MLA and Chhattisgarh's former Public Works Department (PWD) minister Rajesh Munat in a ‘fake sex CD’ case. The CD, which purportedly showed Munat in a compromising situation, surfaced in 2017, months ahead of the 2018 state Assembly elections. It sparked a major political controversy in the state. Munat maintained that the video was fake and accused Baghel of attempting to malign his image.

Baghel has consistently denied the charges, claiming the case was politically motivated.

In 2017, journalist Vinod Verma, who was then working as Baghel's consultant, was arrested with 500 copies of the CD containing the obscene video. Verma was accused of doctoring the video in an attempt to defame Munat. Verma had also denied the allegations levelled against him.

As many as six people were named in the chargesheet filed by the CBI in the case. The matter is still being probed by the central agency.

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