The Chhattisgarh High Court has rejected Chaitanya Baghel's plea to quash his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case linked to the alleged liquor scam in the state. Chaitanya Baghel is the son of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.
Chaitanya Baghel was initially arrested by the ED on July 18, 2025, following a search at his residence in Bhilai. At the time, he was sent to 14-day judicial custody. Subsequently, the Anti-Corruption Bureau/Economic Offences Wing (ACB/EOW) also arrested him in connection with the same liquor scam.
The ED alleges that the liquor scam, which occurred between 2019 and 2022 during the Congress government led by Bhupesh Baghel, caused a massive loss to the state exchequer while enriching a liquor syndicate by over ₹2,100 crore. The agency claims Chaitanya Baghel "handled" more than ₹1,000 crore worth of "proceeds of crime" generated from the scam and used ₹16.7 crore for his real estate project. According to the ED, Chaitanya was at “the apex of liquor syndicate” and had a “commanding and decisive” role in handling funds. The ED alleged in a charge sheet that he was the "controller and ultimate authority" of an "organised liquor syndicate" in the state. The agency further stated that Chaitanya Baghel personally handled approximately ₹1,000 crore generated from the alleged scam.
In response to his son's arrest in July, Bhupesh Baghel alleged that central agencies were being misused to target opposition leaders. He also claimed that the action against his son was initiated to divert attention from "illegal tree felling" for coal mines in the state.
Chaitanya Baghel's lawyer, Faisal Rizvi, has denied the allegations, stating that the ED is relying on the statement of Laxmi Narayan Bansal, against whom a permanent warrant had been issued. Rizvi claims that Bansal can say anything to save himself.
Several other individuals have been arrested in connection with the alleged scam, including former minister and Congress leader Kawasi Lakhma, businessman Anwar Dhebar, former IAS officer Anil Tuteja, and Indian Telecom Service (ITS) officer Arunpati Tripathi.
