Chhattisgarh ex-CM Bhupesh Baghel cleared of charges in sex CD case

RAIPUR: A CBI special court in

Chhattisgarh

Tuesday discharged ex-CM Bhupesh Baghel of all charges in the sleaze CD case that erupted just ahead of

2018 assembly polls

. In reaction, Baghel posted "Satyameva Jayate" on X. On Tuesday, Baghel, alongside his former political adviser Vinod Verma and Kailash Murarka, presented themselves before court. Chhattisgarh Congress communication department chief Sushil Anand Shukla said court found there was no basis for prosecuting the ex-CM.
Defence counsel Manish Dutt argued in court that Baghel was wrongly implicated, and that he had neither produced nor circulated the CD. On Feb 25, Baghel, Verma, and two others had attended a hearing on the CD scandal case, following which the court had listed the matter for Tuesday.
In Oct 2017, an alleged sex CD had surfaced in Chhattisgarh, purportedly involving ex-minister Rajesh Munat. Police had registered a case, arrested Vinod Verma in Delhi and brought him to Raipur.