Chhattisgarh: FIR registered against Former CM Ajit Jogi in fake caste certificate case

An FIR was lodged on last night against former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi for allegedly obtaining a fake caste certificate to avail benefits meant for the scheduled tribes, police said.

The FIR was registered on the basis of a complaint filed by BJP leader Sameera Paikra, who alleged that Jogi had misused fake caste certificate.

In her complaint filed at Gaureala police station in Bilaspur, Paikra alleged that a retired naib tehsildar from Bilaspur has given an affidavit in which he has denied issuing any caste certificate to Jogi.

The former tehsildar has also mentioned that if Jogi produces any caste certificate containing his signature then it should be considered as fake and false, said Paikra.

Jogi has been accused of forgery and cheating by giving wrong information in his election affidavit about his birthplace during the 2013 Assembly elections, which he contested against Paikra.

Earlier, the government's caste scrutiny committee, which was constituted on directions of the High Court, had found that Jogi is not entitled to benefits meant for the tribal communities

Jogi has been booked under Indian Penal Code sections of 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record).

Acting on a similar complaint, police had already arrested former chief minister's son Amit Jogi, who is facing judicial custody. Amit is the chief of Chhattisgarh unit of Janta Congress, a regional party headed by his father.

The Jogi family has been accusing BJP of political vendetta, alleging that state Chief Minister Bhupesh Behgel's empowered caste scrutiny committee's acted against him on the Chief Minister's instructions.