5 months ago
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The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) connected Friday (December 26, 2025) filed the last prosecution ailment successful the alleged liquor scam lawsuit successful Chhattisgarh, naming 59 persons, taking the full fig of accused successful the wealth laundering lawsuit to 81.
ED’s counsel Saurabh Kumar Pande told The Hindu that the Supreme Court had connected September 16 fixed a clip bounds of 3 months for filing the prosecution ailment and the bid was uploaded connected September 26. Complying with the directions, the bureau filed the prosecution ailment earlier a PMLA tribunal here.
Earlier, 22 persons were named accused successful the lawsuit and respective of them were arrested and prosecution ailment filed against them successful the past aft completing the probe related to them.
Among the caller 59 accused are erstwhile Deputy Secretary astatine Chief Minister's bureau Soumya Chaurasia, erstwhile IAS serviceman Niranjan Das, liquor licence holders, liquor manufacturers and excise section officials, helium said.
The liquor "scam" successful the State surfaced during the erstwhile Congress regime. The alleged scam resulted successful a "massive loss" to the State exchequer that was pegged implicit ₹3000 crore, Mr. Pande had earlier said.
While the State’s Economic Offences Wing/Anti Corruption Bureau has filed an FIR into the alleged scam, the the ED is probing the wealth laundering purportedly linked to it.
Earlier this year, ED arrested Congress MLA and erstwhile Excise Minister Kawasi Lakhma and Chaitanya Baghel, lad of erstwhile Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, successful July successful transportation with the alleged liquor scam.
The ED claimed Mr. Lakhma was the main recipient of proceeds of crime, portion Mr. Chaitanya Baghel played a cardinal relation successful handling astir ₹1,000 crore generated by the syndicate.
