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Indian Express
11-07-2025
- Indian Express
22 excise officials suspended in Chhattisgarh's ‘Rs 3,200-crore liquor scam'
The Chhattisgarh government's excise department on Thursday suspended 22 out of the 29 officials, who were recently chargesheeted by the state's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) for their alleged involvement in the alleged liquor scam, officials said. The remaining seven officials have retired from service. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) that is probing the money laundering aspect of liquor scam, it is a syndicate of senior state bureaucrats, politicians, and excise department officials. The agency has accused the department of running a 'parallel' excise department, wherein liquor was sold to the public, but money was not deposited to the state exchequer. Among the 22 accused officials who have been suspended, three are assistant district excise officers, five are deputy commissioners, ten are assistant commissioners, three district excise officers and an assistant excise officer. The EOW's supplementary chargesheet filed on July 7 also pegged the total money lost to the scam to Rs 3,200 crores up from the earlier amount of Rs 2,161crores pegged by the ED. Explaining their roles in the scam, an EOW press statement says, 'Between 2019 and 2023, these officers were working as district In-charge or on other posts in 15 big districts, where un-accounted duty paid liquor was sold parallel to duty paid liquor in government liquor shops, and some officers used to coordinate at the state level for this illegal liquor sale,' '…as per the instructions of the excise syndicate, additional liquor was produced in distilleries, loaded in trucks and sent directly to the country liquor shops with high sales in the selected districts. Such liquor was sold parallel to the legal liquor brought to the shops on the basis of demand from the warehouse/government depot from the distillery, without paying any kind of government fee/duty,' it adds. The excise officials got a commission from the illegal liquor sale. While Kawasi Lakhma, former excise minister, has been arrested by ED, the central agency is probing the role of former CM Bhupesh Baghel and his son Chaitanya in the scam. The ED had registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) in January last year against alleged mastermind of the liquor scam, Anwar Dhebar, who is the brother of former Raipur mayor Aijaz Dhebar; retired IAS officer Anil Tuteja, then joint secretary in Chhattisgarh; ITS Arun Pati Tripathi, then Special Secretary Government Commerce and Industry Department and MD, CG State Marketing Corporation Ltd; and others. Dhebar, Tuteja and Tripathi have been arrested by ED in the case too.
Time of India
07-07-2025
- Time of India
Chhattisgarh liquor 'scam': Fourth supplementary chargesheet filed; EOW pegs amount at Rs 3200 crore
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The Economic Offence Wing (EOW) of Chhattisgarh on Monday filed its fourth supplementary chargesheet in the alleged liquor scam that took place during the previous Congress regime, naming 29 excise officials as accused, seven of whom have chargesheet was filed before a special court in Raipur, an EOW statement said."On the basis of previous calculations, this liquor scam was believed to be around Rs 2161 crore, including all types of commissions and sale of additional country liquor without duty paid in the shops. However, the fresh investigation revealed the alleged scam was worth more than Rs 3200 crore," it 29 excise officials include district and assistant district excise officers, assistant commissioners and deputy commissioners of excise who were posted between 2019 and 2023 in 15 districts where unaccounted duty paid liquor was sold parallel to duty paid liquor from government liquor shops, the EOW officers used to coordinate at the state level for this illegal liquor sale from the 15 districts, excluding those in Bastar and Surguja divisions where consumption of country-made liquor was high, it said."Then, additional consignment of liquor was manufactured in distilleries, loaded in trucks and sent directly to these government run country made liquor shops as per the instructions of the 'Excise Syndicate'. This liquor brought on the basis of demand from the warehouse/government depot from the distillery, without paying any government fee/duty, was sold parallel to the legal liquor," it salesmen, supervisors, lower level excise officials, shop in-charge officials and district in-charge excise officials were involved in the entire process, it said, adding this kind of liquor was called 'B-part liquor'.The sale amount of this liquor was collected separately and handed over to the syndicate via the district in-charge excise official at the district level, it the basis of statements and digital evidence of about 200 people, it has been found that 60,50,950 boxes of country liquor worth Rs 2174 crores were sold in government liquor shops at the behest of the accused officers, a certain part of which was received by the officers/employees posted in the district as well as the salesmen and supervisors of the shop, it said.A detailed analysis of the commission taken by the syndicate on foreign liquor is being done separately by EOW/ this supplementary chargesheet, the state's agency has filed five chargesheets, including four supplementary ones, and arrested 13 persons. They include Congress MLA and former excise minister Kawasi Lakhma Anil Tuteja, Anwar Dhebar, Arunpati Tripathi, Vijay alleged liquor scam in the state, as per the Enforcement Directorate, which has been probing the money laundering part in it, was orchestrated between 2019 and 2022 when Chhattisgarh was ruled by the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government. PTI
Indian Express
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Chhattisgarh ex-excise minister made Rs 64 crore from liquor scam: EOW
Arrested Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh excise minister Kawasi Lakhma made Rs 64 crore in the alleged Rs 2,161-crore liquor scam, according to a supplementary chargesheet filed by the state's Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in a special court in Raipur Monday. Lakhma, a six-time MLA from Konta in Sukma district, was the excise minister in the state's Congress government between 2019 and 2023. He was arrested by the ED on January 15 this year. According to the ED, the alleged scam was orchestrated between 2019-22 by a crime syndicate which, in connivance with excise officials, extorted illegal commission and carried out unauthorised sale of unaccounted liquor through government shops. The Chhattisgarh EOW has arrested 13 people in the case and filed four chargesheets (three of them supplementary). Monday's chargesheet was the first against Lakhma in the case. 'Under his protection, a well-planned scam was executed through departmental officers, associates and contractors… it has been proved that Shri Kawasi Lakhma has received Rs 64 crore as his share as a result of the excise scam,' an EOW statement said. Congress's communications chief for Chhattisgarh, Sushil Anand Shukla said, 'From day one, the case was manipulated by ED and after two years, when they could not find anything, the EOW started probing it. Their sole intention is just harassing and defaming our leaders…'
New Indian Express
30-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Chhattisgarh liquor scam: 1200-page supplementary charge-sheet filed against arrested Congress MLA
RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh state Bureau for Investigation of Economic Offences (EOW) on Monday filed a 1200-page supplementary charge-sheet in the special court against the arrested Congress MLA Kawasi Lakhma, in connection with the alleged liquor scam in Chhattisgarh. A six-time Congress legislator Lakhma, who was excise minister in the earlier Congress regime led by Bhupesh Baghel, was arrested on January 15 this year and has been in jail as among the prime accused. Lakhma appeared virtually before the trial court proceeding via video conferencing. He appealed the court to allow him to appear physically instead of virtually before it, saying that 'he was neither a terrorist nor a Pakistani'. In the fourth charge-sheet produced before the special court (Prevention of Corruption Act), around seventy have been named as accused including Lakhma who was found to have 'grossly disregarded his position' as the minister. "The probe, examination of evidence gathered including financial analysis indicated an alleged gross misuse of his then constitutional post in manipulating the tender process and interfering in the decisions. And Lakhma got a share of Rs 64 crore from the liquor scam", according to officials.
Time of India
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Fourth chargesheet filed in Chhattisgarh liquor scam case
RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh State Economic Offences Investigation Bureau on Monday filed a fourth chargesheet in the liquor scam case at the Special Court (Prevention of Corruption Act). The chargesheet, approximately 1,200 pages long, was filed against arrested accused Kawasi Lakhma, according to officials. Lakhma served as the Excise Minister in the Chhattisgarh government from 2019 to 2023. Investigation, evidence, and financial analysis conclusively prove Lakhma, despite holding a responsible constitutional post, not only grossly neglected his duties but also used his ministerial powers to interfere in policy decisions, influence official postings, manipulate tender processes, and establish a parallel system of cash transactions. He operated the entire departmental system through corruption. A well-planned scam was executed through departmental officials, associates, and contractors under his patronage. Funds acquired through these acts were used for personal and family gain, yielding significant undue profit. So far, the investigation has confirmed Lakhma received Rs 64 crore as his share from the excise scam. Documented evidence of illegal investment/expenditure of Rs 18 crore has been obtained. Including this, a total of four chargesheets have been presented in court, along with three supplementary chargesheets. Thirteen accused have been arrested in connection with the case. Investigation in the matter is ongoing.
