Congress leader Amit Jogi. (Source: PTI photo)Former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi’s son Amit Jogi was arrested from his residence in Bilaspur on Tuesday for allegedly providing false information about his birthplace and date of birth in an election affidavit.
Police have booked the 42-year-old under IPC sections related to cheating, forgery, forgery of valuable security and using a forged document (or electronic record) as genuine one. Bilaspur SP Prashant Agrawal told The Indian Express that Amit has been sent to judicial remand for 14 days.
He was later produced in the court of Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Aslam Khan, located in Gaurela area of the district, public prosecutor Sanjeev Rai said.
Amit Jogi argued in person in the court.
Rai pleaded before the court that the offence fell under “serious category” and hence, the accused should not be granted bail.
Police outside Ajit Jogi’s residence in Bilaspur Tuesday morning (ANI)After hearing both the sides, the court rejected Amit Jogi’s bail plea and sent him in judicial remand for 14 days, Rai said.
BJP leader Sameera Paikra, who had lost to the Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (J) leader from the Marwahi constituency in the 2013 Assembly elections, had filed an election petition in the Chhattisgarh High Court, challenging Amit Jogi’s caste and place of birth. The High Court dismissed the petition in January this year on the ground that the term of the Chhattisgarh Assembly (2013-2018) had already ended.
In February, Paikra filed a complaint at the Gaurela Police Station in Bilaspur district against Amit.
Ajit Jogi called his son’s arrest a political vendetta by Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel. He claimed that the police went ahead with Amit’s arrest even though the High Court had offered him relief in the matter.
Amit Jogi with father Ajit JogiMeanwhile, Amit has said that he will challenge the order sending him to judicial custody, and alleged that the Bhupesh Baghel government wanted to stop him from campaigning for the upcoming bypoll for the Dantewada constituency.
The action against Amit comes days after the police filed an FIR against his father for allegedly securing a false caste certificate. The case was filed under Section 10 of the Chhattisgarh SC, ST and OBC (Regulation of Social Status Certification) Act, 2013. The FIR was filed after a state government committee declared that Ajit Jogi was not a tribal, and that he had not been able to prove that he was a member of the Kanwar tribe.— With PTI inputs
