Chhattisgarh High Court Grants Bail To Chaitanya Baghel In Liquor Scam Case

The Chhattisgarh High Court has granted bail to Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel, in two cases related to the liquor scam. The case involved two interconnected investigations into a liquor syndicate scam, allegedly operating between 2019 and 2023.The cases originated from an FIR registered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB)/Economic Offence Wing (EOW) on 17 January 2024, alleging systematic corruption involving the unauthorised sale of liquor, forgery of holograms, and commission-staking that caused a loss of approximately INR 4,000 crores to the state exchequer. Following this predicate offence, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) registered an ECIR (Enforcement Case Information Report) under the PMLA to investigate the laundering of these "proceeds of crime" through real estate projects and shell entities. The Applicant was arrested by the ED on 18 July 2025 and subsequently by the EOW on 24 September 2025.In the PMLA case, the Applicant contended that his arrest was a result of a "targeted and discriminatory exercise of power," noting that he was not named in the initial ECIR or the first four prosecution complaints. Furthermore, the defense sought bail on the grounds of parity, pointing out that co-accused with significantly greater alleged roles, such as Anwar Dhebar and Anil Tuteja, had already been granted bail by superior courts. Per contra, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) submitted that the Applicant orchestrated the entire scam using his political proximity to high-ranking officials to create a "systematic corruption grid". The ED argued that the necessity for arrest was justified by evidence of witness tampering, alleging that the Applicant and his father had intimidated key witnesses into silence or retraction. Regarding the EOW liquor scam FIR, the Applicant alleged that his arrest on 24 September 2025 was an instance of "coordinated evergreen custody," designed to keep him behind bars just as he was eligible for release in the PMLA case. The defense argued that the EOW's failure to issue any summons or conduct searches for 21 months of investigation proved that custodial interrogation was never considered necessary. Finally, the Applicant reiterated that the EOW's failure to obtain judicial leave for further investigation rendered the subsequent chargesheets void ab initio.In response, the State/EOW maintained that the Applicant was the central architect who handled the accounting of the excise scam proceeds and ensured the seamless movement of tainted funds. The State argued that the Applicant's influential status posed a grave threat to the sanctity of the ongoing investigation, particularly concerning his ability to manipulate witnesses. The EOW concluded that the judicial remand order was well-reasoned and that the Applicant's detention was essential for identifying the full extent of the State-wide corruption grid.Case Title: Chaitanya Baghel vs Directorate Of Enforcement (MCRC 8716/2025) & Chaitanya Baghel vs State of Chhattisgarh (MCRC 8224/2025)Appearance for petitioner: N Hariharan, Sr Adv, Mayank Jain Adv, Harshwardhan Parghaniha Adv, Madhur Jain Adv and Arpit Goel AdvClick Here To Read/Download Order

Chhattisgarh High Court Grants Bail To Chaitanya Baghel In Liquor Scam Case

Saksham Vaishya

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