CBI court orders trial against Bhupesh Baghel in alleged sex CD case

New Delhi | Desk: Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has suffered a major setback in the high-profile alleged sex CD case of 2017. A special CBI court in Delhi on Saturday overturned an earlier decision by the magistrate's court that had discharged Baghel from the case.

This latest ruling by the court means that Bhupesh Baghel will now have to face a regular trial in the case, unless he obtains relief from a higher court. During the same hearing, the court also dismissed appeals filed by the other accused in the case, Vinod Verma, Kailash Murarka, and Vijay Bhatia, against the framing of charges.

The entire case dates back to October 2017, when an alleged obscene video clip of Rajesh Munat, who was the PWD minister in the then BJP government, surfaced. The Chhattisgarh police registered two separate FIRs in the case, which were later handed over to the CBI.

The first FIR was registered on a complaint by Prakash Bajaj alleging extortion, while the second FIR was filed by Rajesh Munat himself against Bhupesh Baghel and journalist Vinod Verma.

It was alleged that these leaders circulated a fake video on social media to tarnish Munat's image and gain political advantage.

The CBI had filed a charge sheet and a supplementary charge sheet in the case, based on which the legal proceedings will now move forward.