Chhattisgarh Liquor Scam: Ex-CM Baghel's Son Got Rs 250 Crore as His Share, Claims Chargesheet

Raipur: Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, received between Rs 200 crore and Rs 250 crore as his share from an alleged liquor scam in the state, the Anti-Corruption Bureau/Economic Offence Wing (ACB/EOW) has claimed in its chargesheet.

According to officials, the ACB/EOW has filed its seventh supplementary chargesheet in the multi-crore liquor scam before a special court in Raipur on Monday. The chargesheet alleges that Chaitanya Baghel played a key role in establishing, coordinating and protecting an extortion racket operating within the excise department during the previous Congress government’s tenure from 2018 to 2023.

Role in alleged extortion syndicate

The agency claimed that an organised syndicate functioned within the excise department, facilitating illegal collections and ensuring protection to those involved. Chaitanya Baghel has been accused of being an important link in the alleged network that enabled the racket to operate smoothly.

Scam pegged at over Rs 3,000 crore

The voluminous supplementary chargesheet, spanning nearly 3,800 pages, names Chaitanya Baghel as an accused in the liquor scam, which investigators have pegged at more than Rs 3,000 crore, according to an official ACB/EOW statement.

The case is part of an ongoing investigation into alleged irregularities in liquor procurement, distribution and licensing in Chhattisgarh during the previous regime. Further legal proceedings in the matter are awaited.

ED initiated an investigation into a First Information Report (FIR) registered by the Anti-Corruption Branch of the Economic Offences Wing of Chhattisgarh under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

Police investigations have revealed that the Chhattisgarh Liquor Scam caused a massive loss to the State Exchequer and generated more than Rs 2,500 crore in Proceeds of Crime (POC), enriching the beneficiaries through scheduled offences. 

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