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Chhattisgarh Liquor Scam: SC Demands ED Reply On Chaitanya Baghel's Arrest Challenge
Top court issues notice to probe agency, questions procedural lapses in ₹2,000 crore graft case amid Baghel family's legal pushback
Summary
The Supreme Court on Friday sought the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) response within 10 days to a plea by Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, challenging the grounds of his July arrest in the alleged ₹2,000 crore Chhattisgarh liquor scam.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi issued notice on Chaitanya's appeal against the Chhattisgarh High Court's October 17 order, which upheld his arrest despite claims of procedural irregularities under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023. The court posted the matter for hearing after two weeks, allowing Baghel's rejoinder within four days of ED's counter.
According to The Hindu, the scam probe alleges a nexus of politicians, excise officials, and private operators manipulated liquor trade from 2019-2022, laundering proceeds via shell companies and real estate. Chaitanya, arrested on July 18, 2025, under PMLA for non-cooperation during searches, claims his name isn't in the FIR or witness statements, labeling it politically motivated.
The ED, represented by Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, defended the three-month probe window upheld by the Supreme Court, citing another bench's September 26 nod for completion. Earlier, the court quashed a prior ED case in April 2024 for lacking a predicate offence, prompting a fresh FIR
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