A Raipur court on Monday rejected the bail plea of former BBC journalist Vinod Verma, reported ANI. A member of the Editors Guild of India, Verma is accused of trying to extort money from a Chhattisgarh minister who features in the purportedly sexually explicit content in the CDs. He was arrested from his home in Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh on October 27.

State minister Rajesh Munat had filed cases against Verma and Chhattisgarh Congress President Bhupesh Baghel for allegedly maligning his image through what he claimed was a fake CD. The case was filed under the Information Technology Act. The police have sent a copy of the CD for forensic examination.

The state government later announced a CBI investigation into the matter. After his arrest, Verma had claimed that the Chhattisgarh government was framing him.