SC stays criminal trial against Baghel in ‘sex CD’ case

NEWDELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the ongoing criminal trial in the alleged sex CD case involving Chhattisgarh chief minister and senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel as an accused.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and justices S A

Bobde and S A Nazeer also issued a notice to Baghel on a plea of probe agency CBI seeking transfer of the criminal case out of Chhattisgarh on grounds including that the chief minister has been allegedly threatening the witnesses in the case.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had registered a case against Baghel in September 2018, then Chhattisgarh Congress president on a complaint that he had allegedly tried to frame the then state PWD minister and BJP leader Rajesh Munat in the fake sex CD case.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI said that two prosecution witnesses have lodged complaints with the probe agency that they have been threatened at the behest of accused for giving statement against the CM in the case.

The case has its origins in a complaint filed by BJP’S Rajesh Moonat back in 2017 when he was a minister in the Chhattisgarh government. Moonat had alleged that journalist Vinod Verma and Bhupesh Baghel, who was then the state Congress chief, were using what he had described as a “sex CD”, to blackmail him.

Baghel, who has described the case against him as politically motivated, took over as Chhattisgarh chief inister in December 2018. Baghel’s party said it welcomed the SC notice in the case.

“We believe in the court of law and the state government will duly respond to the notice issued by the honourable court,” said RP Singh , senior Congress leader and spokesperson of the Chhattisgarh Congress.