Chhattisgarh Congress MLA gets bail in cheating case, released from jail

Janjgir-Champa, Jan 14 (PTI) A court in Chhattisgarh's Janjgir-Champa district on Wednesday granted bail to Congress MLA Baleshwar Sahu in a cheating case, following which he was released from the district jail.

Sahu, legislator from Jaijaipur, had been arrested on January 9.

A large number of supporters welcomed him with drum beats, music and fireworks as he walked out of the prison.

His lawyer Rajesh Pandey said District and Additional Sessions Judge Ganesh Ram Patel heard his bail application on Tuesday and pronounced the order on Wednesday.

The court granted bail to Sahu on two surety bonds of Rs 50,000 each, he said.

Sahu held a picture of Dr B R Ambedkar in one hand and a copy of the Constitution in the other as he came out. He later offered floral tributes at an Ambedkar statue, expressing his faith in constitutional values.

Speaking to reporters, the MLA alleged that he had been implicated in a "false and well-planned" case under the BJP government's pressure, but no evidence of forgery or any other wrongdoing was found against him.

He demanded a thorough and impartial probe into the case and action against those responsible for `framing' him.

Allegations had been levelled against him for the past several years over loans allegedly taken from a cooperative bank using a farmer's passbook, but no concrete evidence was offered, the MLA said.

A case was registered against Sahu and one Gautam Rathore in October last year based on a complaint lodged by Rajkumar Sharma, a resident of Sara Gaon police station area.

Sharma alleged that between 2015 and 2020, when Sahu was the manager of a cooperative society in Bamhanidih and Rathore was its salesman, the two cheated his family.

They allegedly advised Sharma to take a Kisan Credit Card (KCC) loan against his 50 acres of land, opened a bank account for him at a private bank in Champa, obtained a blank cheque and transferred Rs 24 lakh into Sahu's account and that of his wife.

The complainant further alleged that the accused withdrew Rs 42.78 lakh by forging the signatures and thumb impressions of Sharma, his mother and his wife. PTI COR TKP KRK