The Chhattisgarh High Court on Friday granted bail to former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel’s son Chaitanya Baghel in two cases linked to an alleged liquor scam in the state, PTI reported.
Chaitanya Baghel was arrested on July 18 and has spent over five months in jail.
The court granted him bail in a money-laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate as well as a corruption case filed by the Chhattisgarh Economic Offences Wing and Anti-Corruption Bureau, the news agency quoted ED counsel Saurabh Kumar Pande as saying. The detailed order is yet to be made public.
The prosecution has alleged that between 2019 and 2022, a syndicate of senior bureaucrats, politicians and excise department officials operated a parallel excise system, selling illegal liquor and causing a loss of Rs 3,074 crore to the state exchequer.
Bhupesh Baghel was the chief minister of Chhattisgarh from December 2018 to December 2023.
Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate has alleged that Chaitanya Baghel personally handled Rs 1,000 crore generated through illicit means. Separately, the Economic Offences Wing and Anti-Corruption Bureau have alleged that he received Rs 200 crore to Rs 250 crore as his share of the money generated.
However, Chaitanya Baghel’s lawyer said last month that the prosecution had no evidence and was making a case based on the statements of accused persons who were absconding.
The others accused of involvement in the alleged scam include former state Excise Minister Kawasi Lakhma, Special Secretary Arun Pati Tripathi and Indian Administrative Service officer Anil Tuteja.
They have been charged with corruption, cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act.
You’ve read Scroll.
Now help sustain it
Scroll is funded by readers, not corporate owners. If you believe our work matters, support our newsroom. Become a member today!
We’re not driven by clicks or corporate interests – just honest, independent reporting. Keep us going. Support Scroll today!