RAIPUR: A trial court at Gaurela in Bilaspur district on Tuesday had sent Amit Jogi, son of former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi, to judicial remand for 14 days. He was arrested by the police for allegedly giving false information on affidavit regarding his place of birth during the 2013 Assembly elections.
After his arrest, the junior Jogi was brought to Gaurela police station where his statement was recorded.
He was later was produced before the court where he himself pleaded his case.
After hearing the arguments of respective parties, the court rejected his bail plea had sent him to jail on 14-day judicial custody. He said the decision will be challenged in the sessions court where his bail application will again be filed.
Amit is also state president of the regional outfit Janta Congress Chhattisgarh (Jogi) floated by his father in June 2016.
The police arrested him on Tuesday from Marwahi Sadan in Bilaspur, following a complaint lodged by a BJP leader Samira Paikra who lost to Amit Jogi in 2013 Assembly polls from the reserved scheduled tribe (ST) seat of Marwahi.
In her complaint, she said that Amit allegedly gave wrong information about his birthplace in the affidavit while filing his nomination papers for the 2013 elections.
“FIR against Amit Jogi was lodged on 3 February this year at Gaurela police station. After investigation he has been arrested”, the police said. He has been charged under IPC Sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record).
Paikra after losing the 2013 polls filed an election petition in the high court challenging both his caste (tribal) and the place of birth. According to her Amit has mentioned his place of birth as Sarbahara village in Gaurela (Bilaspur) while she cited that he was born in the United States. Amit though got relief from the court then.
Following the recent high-powered committee report, that probed the caste status of Ajit Jogi, having rejected his claim as belonging to a ‘tribal’ community, an FIR was also registered against the 73-year-old bureaucrat-turned-politician, who served as the Chhattisgarh first chief minister.