Chhattisgarh Liquor Scam : Supreme Court Makes Absolute Interim Protection From Arrest Granted To Excise Department Officials

The Supreme Court today made absolute the interim protection from arrest granted to certain excise department officials accused in the Chhattisgarh Liquor Scam.A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi passed the order after hearing Senior Advocates S Nagamuthu & Siddharth Aggarwal (for petitioners) and Senior Advocate Mahesh Jethamalani & ASG SD Sanjay (for respondent-State/ED).While granting the relief, the bench imposed stringent conditions on the petitioner-accused, including:- The petitioners shall appear before the Investigating Officer as and when required and shall fully cooperate with the investigation, if any further supplementary chargesheet is required to be filed;- The petitioners shall deposit their passports with the Trial Court within 2 weeks;- The petitioners shall not leave the State without prior permission of the Trial Court;- The petitioners shall not make any direct or indirect attempt to influence witnesses or tamper with the evidence in any manner;- Since chargesheets have been filed against them, they shall remain present before the Trial Court on each and every date of hearing and any absence shall be construed as misuse of concession of bail; and- The petitioners shall furnish their mobile numbers to the Investigating Officer for purpose of contacting them as and when required.A connected ED case pertaining to ex-Excise Minister Kawasi Lakhma was adjourned by 2 weeks.Briefly put, most of the petitioners were working in the Chhattisgarh Excise Department as Assistant Commissioner (Excise), Assistant District Excise Officer and Deputy Excise Commissioner. As per allegations, they connived with a syndicate involved in illegal sale of liquor between February 2019-June 2022 and obtained hefty commissions.After being arraigned in a supplementary chargesheet, the petitioners moved the Special Court and High Court for anticipatory bail. The same was denied, noting that the scam allegedly involved over Rs.3200 crores as illegal earnings.When the matter reached the Supreme Court, the petitioners were granted interim protection from arrest, while asking them to surrender before the Trial Court. In accordance with the Court's orders, they surrendered and furnished bail bonds.Appearance: Senior Advocates S Nagamuthu, Siddharth Aggarwal and Mahesh Jethamalani; ASG SD Sanjay; AoRs Tushar Giri, Tanvi Dubey, Manohar Pratap and MP ParthibanCase Title: VIKAS KUMAR GOSWAMI Versus STATE OF CHHATTISGARH, SLP(Crl) No. 12801/2025 (and connected cases)Click Here To Read/Download Order

Chhattisgarh Liquor Scam : Supreme Court Makes Absolute Interim Protection From Arrest Granted To Excise Department Officials

Debby Jain

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