Sex CD row: Chhattisgarh HC to hear journalist’s bail plea next month

RAIPUR:

Chhattisgarh high court

has sought the case diary of sleaze CD case from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The bail plea of senior journalist Vinod Verma is expected to come up again for hearing in the second week of next month.

CBI officials were present at the high court during the hearing on Friday. During the last hearing on December 12, the court had asked the petitioners to array CBI as respondent in their application after advocate general mentioned that the probe into the case has been handed over to the central agency.

Chhattisgarh police had arrested senior journalist Vinod Verma from his home at Ghaziabad in the last week of October—a day after one Prakash Bajaj lodged a complaint with the police claiming that he had received call from unknown persons threatening to expose his “Aaka” by releasing a sex CD if they don’t pay up. Police immediately registered a case on the charges of extortion and picked up Verma from his Ghaziabad in the wee hours next day.

Subsequently, a sex video clip, purportedly of a minister, went viral. PWD minister Rajesh Munat and the ruling BJP claimed that the sex CD was fabricated and the government later handed over the probe to the CBI. The central agency later registered two separate FIRs on the basis of complaints lodged by Prakash Bajaj and PWD Minister Rajesh Munat.

One of the FIR registered on the charges under 67(A) of the Information Technology Act has named state Congress President Bhupesh Baghel and senior journalist Vinod Verma.