Amit Jogi sentenced to life imprisonment in Jaggi murder case from 2003

Amit Jogi, son of late CM Ajit Jogi, sentenced to life imprisonment in 2003 Jaggi murder case by Chhattisgarh High Court.

The Chhattisgarh High Court has sentenced Amit Jogi— the son of former Chief Minister, the late Ajit Jogi— to life imprisonment after convicting him for the murder case of a Nationalist Congress Party leader in 2003.

The case pertains to the killing of businessman-politician Ramavatar Jaggi in Raipur at a time when Ajit Jogi was the sitting Chief Minister of the State. In 2007, 28 people were convicted in the case by a trial court, but Amit Jogi was acquitted as he was given the benefit of the doubt.

The High Court in its order said that the evidence made it amply clear that Amit Jogi was the mastermind of the entire conspiracy and he was also having the commanding position being the son of the then Chief Minister.

The court also came down heavily on the trial court for acquitting Amit Jogi while convicting others, calling its judgment palpably illegal, wrong, perverse, contrary to the evidence available on record and without any concrete basis.

“It is pertinent to note that the learned Trial Judge has unnecessarily attempted to distinguish the role of accused-Amit Jogi from that of the other co-accused/convicts. The finding that the co-accused acted independently to please Amit Jogi, without his knowledge, and in a manner not contemplated by him, is unsustainable. On the contrary, the evidence indicates that the plan to eliminate the NCP office bearers originated from Amit Jogi himself. Therefore, the distinction drawn by the learned Trial Judge is artificial, unwarranted, and devoid of merit,” the order said.

In 2011, the CBI approached the High Court challenging the acquittal but the appeal was rejected by the HC on grounds of delay. The investigating agency then moved the Supreme Court which referred the case back to the High Court last November and including the argument on Thursday, there were six to seven hearings on the matter, maintained sources.