- By Raju Kumar
- Thu, 25 Sep 2025 08:19 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Chhattisgarh Liquor Scam Probe: Chaitanya Baghel, son of former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, and another accused, Dipen Chawda, were arrested by ACB/EOW (Anti-Corruption Bureau/Economic Offences Wing) on Wednesday in connection with the liquor scam in the state. Chaitanya had been in judicial custody since his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on July 18.
The ACB/EOW officials produced Chaitanya in a court after obtaining his production warrant. The duo were produced in a special court (Prevention of Corruption Act) here, which remanded them in the ACB/EOW custody till October 6.
What Chaitanya's Lawyer Said
Faisal Rizvi, Chaitanya's lawyer, said his client was arrested without any evidence as part of a pressure tactic, claiming former CM's son's name was not mentioned in the main chargesheet and multiple supplementary charge sheets filed so far (by the ACB/EOW). He claimed around 45 people were named as accused in those charge sheets, but 29 of them were never arrested.
How The Liquor Scam Was Carried Out?
According to investigating agencies, the alleged liquor scam amounting to over Rs 2,500 crore was orchestrated between 2019 and 2022 when the Bhupesh-led Congress government was in power.
Who Are Already In Jail?
The ED arrested Chaitanya on July 18 following a search at his house, which he shares with his father in Bhilai town of Durg district.
The ED had arrested former excise minister and incumbent Congress MLA Kawasi Lakhma, besides Anwar Dhebar, former IAS officer Anil Tuteja, Indian Telecom Service (ITS) officer Arunpati Tripathi, and some others as part of their investigations in the case.
The Enforcement Directorate, in its fourth supplementary prosecution complaint (charge sheet) filed before the special court in Raipur on September 15, claimed Chaitanya was at the helm of the syndicate behind the "liquor scam" in Chhattisgarh and personally handled nearly Rs 1,000 crore generated from it. The ED also claimed Chaitanya knowingly assisted in the concealment, possession, acquisition, and use of proceeds of crime, acting in conspiracy with other members of the syndicate.
The ACB/EOW registered an FIR on January 17, 2024, in the "liquor scam", nearly a month after the BJP defeated the Congress in the assembly polls. It named 70 individuals and companies, including former excise minister Kawasi Lakhma and ex-chief secretary Vivek Dhand. The syndicate, apart from collecting commission on the sale of accounted and official liquor and the sale of unaccounted illegal liquor, also charged quid pro quo bribes from main distillers to operate in Chhattisgarh so that they can form a cartel and divide the entire market share among themselves, the ED had claimed.
(With PTI inputs)