Raipur, Feb 3 (PTI) Former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel on Tuesday welcomed the interim bail granted by the Supreme Court to party MLA and former state excise minister Kawasi Lakhma in two cases related to alleged liquor scam, and said the decision proved that truth ultimately prevails despite hardships.
The apex court on Tuesday granted interim bail to Lakhma in cases lodged separately by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Chhattisgarh's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and Economic Offences Wing (EOW).
In a post on 'X', Baghel congratulated the people of Bastar, the tribal community and Congress workers, and described Lakhma as a popular tribal leader and a strong voice of the Congress.
"Lakhma ji is a well-wisher of the tribals who were unjustly imprisoned as part of a conspiracy to benefit (industrialist) Adani. He is the most popular leader in Bastar and a vocal voice of the Congress party. The bail granted to Lakhma ji by the Honorable Supreme Court has once again affirmed that while the fight for truth involves struggle, ultimately truth prevails. 'Ladenge- Jitenge' (we will fight and we will win)," he added.
Lakhma was arrested by the ED on January 15, 2025, in the money laundering case in alleged liquor scam and had been lodged in jail since then.
The state's ACB and EOW had arrested him on April 2 last year in a separate case linked to corruption charges in the alleged scam while he was still in jail.
According to the ED, the alleged liquor scam was orchestrated between 2019 and 2022, when the Congress government led by Baghel was in power in the state.
The agency has claimed that the scam caused a massive loss to the state exchequer while benefiting a liquor syndicate.
In the same alleged scam, the ED arrested Chaitanya Baghel, son of former CM Bhupesh Baghel, on July 18 last year, while the ACB/EOW placed him under arrest on September 24 in its case while he was already in judicial custody.
On January 2 this year, the Chhattisgarh High Court granted bail to Chaitanya.
The ED has alleged that Chaitanya was at the helm of the syndicate behind the liquor scam and personally handled nearly Rs 1,000 crore generated from it.
The ACB/EOW has claimed that Chaitanya Baghel, along with others, managed the proceeds of crime at a higher level and received around Rs 200-250 crore as his share.
The proceeds of crime linked to the scam could exceed Rs 3,500 crore, the state agency had claimed.
The ED, in December last year, filed a final prosecution complaint in the alleged liquor scam case in Chhattisgarh, naming 59 people, taking the total number of accused in the money laundering case to 81.
The final prosecution complaint has now been filed against 59 more persons, against whom investigation has been completed.
The 59 include former deputy secretary at Chief Minister's Office (during previous Congress government ) Soumya Chaurasia, former IAS officer Niranjan Das, liquor licence holders, distributors and excise department officials.