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Jogi appears before CBI in bribery case
January 17, 2004 19:32 IST
Former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi on Saturday appeared before the Central Bureau of Investigation for questioning in the cash-for-legislators scam.
Jogi came to the CBI headquarters in New Delhi along with his lawyers after he was served a notice for the second time by the investigating agency.
Jogi had not appeared before the CBI for questioning on January 12, citing the reason that he had filed a petition in the Chhattisgarh high court for quashing the First Information Report in the case.
His appeal for a later date, after the court hearing in the matter, was not accepted by the CBI. The investigating agency asked him to appear before it between January 15 and 17, saying that the high court had not stayed the investigations.
CBI sources said a notice was served on Jogi asking him to appear before it for recording his voice sample in order to conduct voice spectography tests, and for recording his fingerprints.
The CBI filed an FIR under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code against Jogi, his son Amit and member of Parliament P R Khunte for allegedly bribing BJP legislators and trying to split the party after the December 1 assembly election.
Jogi is also likely to be examined about the source of money and why he allegedly attempted to split the BJP, which had won a majority in the election.
The sources said his fingerprints would be matched with those on the currency notes allegedly paid by him to BJP legislator Virender Pandey and the party's MP from Bastar, Baliram Kashyap.
The CBI had taken voice samples of everyone except Jogi for the voice spectography test.
The CBI has so far examined 29 people in the case, including Khunte and other legislators.
The CBI has also questioned Jogi's staff, including his driver, besides taking the voice samples of all those on the audio tape on which Jogi is reported to have heard offering bribe to Pandey for splitting the BJP legislature party.