Liquor scam fund trail puts Baghel’s role under ED lens

 

 

THE Enforcement Directorate (ED), in its continued probe into the Rs 3,200 crore Chhattisgarh liquor scam, has shifted its focus to the crucial question of where the laundered money ultimately went. While the agency has not formally named former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel in the case so far, senior ED officials, privy to the investigation, confirmed that the political leadership of the previous regime is under watch for possible fund end-use linkages, hinting that it may soon summon the former CM Baghel for questioning under Section 50 of PMLA.

 

According to officials familiar with the matter, ED’s custodial interrogation of Chaitanya Baghel alias Bittu is not limited to the collection and transfer of funds but is aimed at identifying the final layer of launderingthat is, who received the proceeds of crime after the cash was collected. The probe documents submitted to the special PMLA court state that Chaitanya Baghel is in exclusive knowledge of the end utilization of the scam’s proceeds, which ED sources describe as a reference to uncovering the political and financial channels through which the money may have flowed. A senior ED officer involved in the probe stated, “The focus is not just on how the money was generated but how it was integrated into the system. We are following the fund trail beyond the initial cash collection.” According to him, the agency is examining transactions and financial routes that may involve family-linked entities, political affiliates, or other close channels connected to the leadership of the time.

 

The then ruling Indian National Congress (INC) and its associates were the major beneficiaries of the liquor syndicate’s proceeds. The State Economic Offences Investigation and Anti-Corruption Bureau (SEOIACB) has pegged political payouts at Rs 1,392 crore, a figure the ED considers to be part of the proceeds of crime under Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Senior bureaucrats in Chhattisgarh administration too confirmed that the ED’s line of questioning has now shifted toward identifying whether political figures or their close associates were the recipients of the scam’s final financial output. According to ED sources, the investigation is proceeding under Sections 3, 4, 19, 50, and 65 of the PMLA, with BNSS Section 187(2) invoked for custodial procedures. The agency has prioritized decoding the transactions involving Chaitanya Baghel, as he is viewed as a central figure in the alleged movement of cash to political channels.

 

“We are not speculating about individuals at this point, but if custodial statements and financial trails point toward political enduse, further action will follow as per law,” said an ED official. Top government sources indicate that the probe will focus on comparing the timelines of political campaigns, property acquisitions, and fund movements between 2019 and 2023. These patterns, if established, could provide the basis for summoning individuals connected to the political leadership of the time.

 

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THE Special Court under the Prevention of Corruption Act has rejected the anticipatory bail applications filed by 29 suspended Excise officers accused in the Rs 3200 crore Chhattisgarh liquor scam. The court, after hearing detailed arguments from both sides, dismissed their petitions filed under Section 482 of the Criminal Procedure Code, citing prima facie evidence of direct complicity in Part-B liquor sales racket and associated financial misconduct. Those whose bail pleas were denied include senior Excise officials and fieldlevel officers: Pramod Kumar Netam, Neetu Notani Thakur, L.L. Dhruv, Iqbal Ahmed Khan, Janardan Singh Kaurav, Arvind Kumar Patle, Dinkar Wasnik, LEADER of Opposition (LoP) in Chhattisgarh Assembly, Dr Charandas Mahant, has condemned the arrest of former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel’s son, Chaitanya Baghel, calling it unethical and politically motivated. “Unfortunately, central investigative agencies are no longer serving public interest but are being weaponised for political vendetta,” Dr Mahant said. He asserted that the Enforcement Directorate’s actions have ceased to be impartial investigations and are now operating as extensions of partisan politics, posing a grave threat to democracy. “Targeting opposition leaders with false cases to silence dissent undermines democratic institutions,” he added. Dr Mahant further stated that the use of taxpayer-funded agencies as political tools cannot be accepted in any healthy democracy. He warned that this trend endangers judicial independence, constitutional values, and civil rights. “This is not just an attack on a leader, but on the very fabric of India’s democratic system,” he said.