A special court has rejected the bail request of Chaitanya Baghel, the son of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, in the alleged state liquor scam case. This comes as a major setback for him.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has claimed that Chaitanya Baghel, who was arrested on July 18, invested ₹16.7 crore of illegal money into his real estate projects using cash payments, fake bank transactions, and properties bought under other names. Last month, the agency submitted a 7,000-page chargesheet against him.
How was the money allegedly used in the scam?
Investigations revealed that Chaitanya and businessman Trilok Singh Dhillon started a fake investment plan under a housing project called Vitthalpuram. Through this project, they allegedly collected nearly ₹5 crore from flats booked in the names of Dhillon’s employees, while Chaitanya was the real beneficiary.
What is Chaitanya Baghel accused of doing?
The ED also said that Chaitanya managed funds worth over ₹1,000 crore through a network run by Dhillon and another key accused, Anwar Dhebar. These funds allegedly reached the then-treasurer of the Congress party in Chhattisgarh. This case is a part of the large-scale Chhattisgarh liquor scam, estimated to be over ₹3,200 crore, which took place between 2019 and 2022 during the Congress government led by Bhupesh Baghel.
