Supreme Court Stays Amit Jogi’s Conviction In 2003 Jaggi Murder Case

On Thursday, the Supreme Court put on hold both the conviction and life imprisonment of Amit Jogi in connection with the 2003 killing of NCP leader Ram Avtar Jaggi. The interim relief came while the court considers his challenge to the Chhattisgarh High Court’s ruling.

The order was passed by a Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and Vijay Bishnoi while considering his challenge to the ruling of the Chhattisgarh High Court, which had overturned his earlier acquittal and directed him to surrender.

With the latest direction, the Supreme Court has kept the High Court’s sentence in abeyance until further hearings, allowing Jogi temporary protection from imprisonment.

Case Background

The case stems from the murder of Jaggi, a businessman and senior political figure, in Raipur in June 2003, when Ajit Jogi was serving as Chief Minister.

In its recent verdict, the Chhattisgarh High Court found Amit Jogi guilty of conspiracy and murder, reversing a 2007 trial court judgment that had cleared him due to lack of evidence. It had also directed him to surrender within three weeks.

The High Court ruling followed appeals by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the victim’s family, which argued that evidence used against other accused should also apply to Jogi.

A change in the state government led to the transfer of the investigation to the CBI in 2004. The court earlier convicted several co-accused and sentenced them to life imprisonment.

After the High Court decision, Jogi approached the Supreme Court challenging his conviction in the long-pending case.

In an earlier development, the apex court in November 2025 condoned a delay by the CBI and asked the High Court to reconsider the matter on its merits.

The court will now take up the matter for further hearing, with the interim stay remaining in effect.

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