The Raipur police produced Verma before Judicial Magistrate First Class Bhavesh Kumar Watti at around 11 am here after his police remand expired today, the journalist's lawyer Faizal Rizvi told reporters.
According to the defence counsel, he pleaded in the court that the police does not have any evidence to prove the charges in the case, in which offences have been registered under IPC sections 384 (extortion) and 506 (criminal intimidation).
The lawyer said he urged the court to release Verma citing lack of evidence.
Verma was arrested by the Chhattisgarh Police on October 27 from his residence in Ghaziabad.
Also Read
He claimed that the Chhattisgarh government suspected that he had a "sex CD of Chhattisgarh PWD Minister Rajesh Munat" and that is why he was being framed.
However, Munat called the CD "fake" and an attempt at character assassination.
The minister had on Saturday filed a complaint against state Congress chief Bhupesh Baghel and Verma for allegedly tarnishing his image through the "fake" sex CD.
After the investigation, the search team was sent to Delhi and Verma was held from Ghaziabad, police had said.
The police also claimed to have recovered 500 "porn" CDs, a pen drive and a laptop from Verma.
The issue has sparked a political row in the state with the Congress and the BJP trading charges.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content