Chhattisgarh liquor 'scam': HC grants bail to former CM Bhupesh Baghel's son Chaitanya

Raipur: The Chhattisgarh High Court on Friday granted bail to Chaitanya Baghel, son of former chief minister and senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel, in two cases related to the alleged liquor scam.

The HC granted him bail in a case lodged by the Enforcement Directorate and another by Chhattisgarh Anti Corruption Bureau/Economic Offence Wing, ED counsel Saurabh Kumar Pande told PTI.

The ED arrested Chaitanya Baghel in July last year in connection with its money laundering probe in the alleged scam, while the ACB/EOW placed him under arrest, while he was in jail, in September in its case linked to the corruption probe.

The liquor "scam" in the state, according to the ED, was orchestrated between 2019 and 2022 when Chhattisgarh was governed by the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government.

The alleged scam resulted in a "massive loss" to the state exchequer and filled the pockets of the beneficiaries of a liquor syndicate, it said.

As per the ED, Chaitanya Baghel was at the helm of the syndicate behind the alleged liquor scam and personally handled nearly Rs 1,000 crore generated from the scandal.

The ACB/EOW has claimed Chaitanya Baghel, along with managing the proceeds of crime at a higher level, received around Rs 200-250 crore as his share.

The proceeds of crime linked to the scam could exceed Rs 3,500 crore, the state agency had claimed.