The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the judgment of the Chhattisgarh High Court that convicted Amit Jogi, son of former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, for the 2003 murder of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) functionary Ramavatar Jaggi and sentenced him to life imprisonment.
Court Raises Questions on High Court's Procedure
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and Vijay Bishnoi raised serious concerns over the manner in which the High Court handled the case. It was alleged that Amit Jogi was not given a proper hearing before the conviction. The bench remarked, "What kind of judgment... conviction and sentence before hearing?"
Background of the Case
In 2007, a trial court acquitted Amit Jogi while convicting other accused individuals. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) appealed against this acquittal in the Chhattisgarh High Court. In 2011, the High Court initially dismissed the CBI's appeal as non-maintainable. However, after the Supreme Court disagreed with this view, it directed the High Court to decide the appeal on its merits.
Subsequently, the High Court set aside the trial court's acquittal order, describing Amit Jogi as the "mastermind, principal architect and driving force behind the conspiracy." The Supreme Court has now stayed this conviction and sentence, questioning the procedural fairness of the High Court's judgment.
