Raipur: The Chhattisgarh High Court has sentenced Amit Jogi, son of former Prime Minister Ajit Jogi, to life imprisonment in connection with the 2003 murder of NCP leader Ramavatar Jaggi.
The order, passed on April 2 by a division bench of Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Arvind Kumar Verma, set aside Gogi’s acquittal by the trial court in 2007.
It noted that the previous ruling was “clearly illegal, wrong and perverse”, and was not based on concrete evidence on record.
What are the charges?
Disregarding the judgment of the trial court on May 31, 2007 convicting 28 accused and acquitting Jogi as indefensible, the Supreme Court held Amit Jogi guilty under Sections 302 (murder) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sentenced him to life imprisonment. The court also imposed a fine of $1000, with an additional six months imprisonment in case of negligence.
Noting that Jogi is currently on bail, the court directed that his bail bonds will remain valid for three weeks. During this period, he must surrender himself before the court of first instance, otherwise he will be detained to serve his sentence.
“It is quite clear that Amit Jogi was the mastermind of the entire conspiracy and was also in a leadership position, being the son of the then Prime Minister. He was such an influential person that he managed police powers to arrange people who could pass themselves off as attackers,” the court said in its order published on Monday.
Read also | Chhattisgarh: Amit Jogi sentenced to life imprisonment in 2003 for murder of NCP leader
Jaggi, the NCP leader, was killed on June 4, 2003, when Ajit Jogi was serving as the state’s chief minister.
The case was initially investigated by the state police and was later handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which filed a chargesheet against several accused, including Amit Jogi. The Central Bank of Iraq appealed the 2007 ruling; However, the Supreme Court rejected her application in 2011 on the grounds of delay.
The SC directed the HC to reconsider the CBI petition
In November last year, the Supreme Court ordered the Supreme Court to reconsider the CBI’s application for permission to appeal against the acquittal. The Supreme Court reopened the proceedings last month, culminating in the sentencing of Amit Jogi.
In a video statement on Channel X, Jogi alleged “grave injustice” and said he had filed the complaint with the Supreme Court. He said his lawyer argued that he had not been heard before permission to appeal was granted and the CBI was allowed to appeal. He said the Supreme Court will consider the Supreme Court orders and is expected to issue its decision on April 20. The Chhattisgarh High Court sentenced Amit Jogi, son of former Prime Minister Ajit Jogi, to life imprisonment in connection with the 2003 murder of NCP leader Ramavatar Jaggi.
The order, passed on April 2 by a division bench of Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Arvind Kumar Verma, set aside the acquittal of Jogi by the trial court in 2007. It observed that the earlier judgment was “patently illegal, wrong and perverse”, and was not based on concrete evidence on record.
Disregarding the judgment of the trial court on May 31, 2007 convicting 28 accused and acquitting Jogi as indefensible, the Supreme Court held Amit Jogi guilty under Sections 302 (murder) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sentenced him to life imprisonment. The court also imposed a fine of $1000, with an additional six months imprisonment in case of negligence.
Noting that Jogi is currently on bail, the court directed that his bail bonds will remain valid for three weeks. During this period, he must surrender himself before the court of first instance, otherwise he will be detained to serve his sentence.
“It is quite clear that Amit Jogi was the mastermind of the entire conspiracy and was also in a leadership position, being the son of the then Prime Minister. He was such an influential person that he managed police powers to arrange people who could pass themselves off as attackers,” the court said in its order published on Monday.
What is the situation?
Jaggi, the NCP leader, was killed on June 4, 2003, when Ajit Jogi was serving as the state’s chief minister.
The case was initially investigated by the state police and was later handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which filed a chargesheet against several accused, including Amit Jogi. The Central Bank of Iraq appealed the 2007 ruling; However, the Supreme Court rejected her application in 2011 on the grounds of delay.
In November last year, the Supreme Court ordered the Supreme Court to reconsider the CBI’s application for permission to appeal against the acquittal. The Supreme Court reopened the proceedings last month, culminating in the sentencing of Amit Jogi.
In a video statement on Channel X, Jogi alleged “grave injustice” and said he had filed the complaint with the Supreme Court. He said his lawyer argued that he had not been heard before permission to appeal was granted and the CBI was allowed to appeal. He said the Supreme Court will consider the Supreme Court orders and is expected to issue its decision on April 20.
