Sleaze CD row: Court denies bail to Chhattisgarh journalist Vinod Verma

Vinod Verma (centre) was arrested from his residence in Ghaziabad. (Source: Express File Photo/Prem Nath Pandey)

A lower court in Raipur Monday rejected the bail plea of Vinod Verma, former BBC journalist and member of the Editors Guild. He was arrested for allegedly possessing and intending to disseminate a “sex CD” of Chhattisgarh PWD Minister Rajesh Munat, and booked under provisions of the I-T Act and for alleged extortion.

While BJP had claimed there was evidence to prove that the CD was morphed, Congress accused the government of intimidation.

On Monday, Judicial Magistrate First Class Bhavesh Vatti denied bail to Verma. Verma’s advocate Faisal Rizvi said, “The judge rejected the bail on the grounds that the charges were serious, and the arguments that we made should be debated during the trial and not at this stage.” The lawyer said they would now move the sessions court for bail.