In a significant crackdown on the foreign liquor commission racket that bled the State exchequer of crores, the State Economic Offences Investigation and Anti-Corruption Bureau (SEOIACB) on Monday arrested three Chartered Accountants (CAs) directly linked to the liquor syndicate’s financial machinery. SEOIACB officials confirmed the arrest of Sanjay Mishra, Manish Mishra, and Abhishek Singh on Sunday (July 20) in connection with the excise scam registered under Crime No. 04/2024.

 

The accused were produced before the Special Court (Prevention of Corruption Act) in Raipur on Monday, which remanded them to police custody till July 26 for further interrogation. Investigations have revealed that the arrested CAs were operating in collusion with liquor licensing firm Nexgen Power Engitech Private Limited, which was among three ‘trusted’ FL-10 licensees awarded the foreign liquor distribution contracts during 2020-21. These companies were allegedly handpicked by the excise syndicate to facilitate a backdoor commission arrangement that circumvented the state’s revenue protocols. Under this scheme, liquor manufacturers supplied products to the FL-10 licensee companies at base rates. These licensees then sold the same liquor to the Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited (CSMCL) at a 10% markup.

 

Of this inflated margin, 60% was funnelled back to the excise syndicate’s alleged kingpins-Anwar Dhebar, suspended IAS officer Anil Tuteja, and their associates-while the remaining 40% was retained by the licensee firms themselves. SEOIACB sources stated that this defective licensing model not only fostered rampant commission-seeking but also inflicted massive revenue losses on the state. The Bureau has launched a separate probe into the foreign liquor commission racket as part of its broader investigation into excise corruption. “The arrests mark a critical development in unearthing the financial conduits of the liquor cartel. The case highlights how professional financial intermediaries were systematically used to institutionalise graft under the guise of lawful business operations,” SEOIACB investigators told The Hitavada

 

DEPUTY Chief Minister Vijay Sharma has said that the Congress party should clarify what position Bhupesh Baghel’s son, Chaitanya Baghel, holds in the party. When a person holds no official position in the Congress and yet the entire party is protesting across State for him, it clearly indicates that Bhupesh Baghel has dragged the entire Congress into a trap of paternal affection. Addressing a press conference at BJP office, Deputy CM said that many examples have been seen in the past where people, blinded by attachment to their children, ended up destroying not only themselves but their entire empires. Bhupesh Baghel seems to be heading in the same direction. He further added that Bhupesh Baghel and the Congress party are harassing the people of the state in their efforts to shield the corrupt and are causing financial harm, which the people of Chhattisgarh will not tolerate. Addressing a press conference, Deputy CM pointed out that the accused in the liquor scam, coal scam, rice scam, and Gothan scam are now being apprehended one by one. All are landing in jail.

 

He added that diverting the lawful actions being taken against criminals is unfortunate and the biggest example of hypocrisy in Congress. He said that whenever questions were raised about coal block allocations or tree cutting, Bhupesh Baghel would jump to defend under pressure from 10 Janpath. He used to say that those opposing coal block allocations should switch off electricity in their own homes.

 

The question now is, as Bhupesh Baghel attempts to whitewash his own misdeeds through false and baseless allegations, will he now turn off the electricity at his own home and at Rajiv Bhawan? Deputy CM stated that on June 23, 2011, when the Congress was in power at the Centre, a proposal was made to open the Tara, Parsa East, and Kante Basan coal blocks. When both Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan were under Congress rule, Adani was made the operator for two major coal mines—Gare Pelma Sector-2 in Chhattisgarh and Kete Extension Block in Rajasthan. Similarly, on October 16, 2019, during Bhupesh Baghel’s tenure as Chief Minister, the state government recommended environmental clearance. HE added that the agreement for the open-cast Gare Pelma Sector-2 in Mand-Raigarh coalfield, dated March 31, 2021, is in the public domain. In continuation, on April 19, 2022, during Bhupesh Baghel’s tenure as CM, the Congress government sent a recommendation for Stage-1 forest clearance, and on January 23, 2023, for Stage-2 clearance. Deputy CM said that many newspapers had also reported on Bhupesh Baghel’s involvement in the approval of the Mahajenco coalfield. On March 25, 2022, the Bhupesh government allocated coal mines to Rajasthan, where Ashok Gehlot was then the Chief Minister. He said that during Congress rule in Chhattisgarh, then Rajasthan Minister B.D. Kalla had written to Bhupesh Baghel, and Ashok Gehlot, the then CM of Rajasthan, had written several letters within a week requesting coal block allocations. The people of Chhattisgarh and the nation have witnessed this. District Vice President Jasvinder Bagga, General Secretary Santosh Patel and Zila Panchayat member Dr Beerendra Sahu were present. 

 

The political temperature in Chhattisgarh is soaring as the Congress party prepares for a massive ‘economic blockade’ across State on Tuesday. This protest, announced by Chhattisgarh Congress President Deepak Baij, is a strong reaction to the recent arrest of Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, and what the party claims is the ‘loot of Chhattisgarh’s resources.’ The blockade is to begin at 11:00 AM and last until 2:00 PM across all five divisions of State. It will target all major roads, national highways, and State highways disrupting (Contd on page 6)