The money laundering case originated from a chargesheet filed by the Income Tax Department in 2022 before a Delhi court.
NEW DELHI: On Monday, the Supreme Court of India strongly questioned the Chhattisgarh government during the hearing of two bail petitions related to the alleged Rs. 2,000 crore liquor scam. The court expressed concern over the prolonged jail custody of the accused in the case.
A bench of Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan observed that three chargesheets had already been filed, yet the investigation was still ongoing.
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The justices made critical oral remarks, saying:
“Investigation will go on its own speed. It will go on till eternity. Three chargesheets have been filed. You are virtually penalising the person by keeping him in custody. You have made the process a punishment. This is not some case of terrorist or triple murder,” the bench said.
The case was related to an alleged large-scale liquor scam in Chhattisgarh, where money was reportedly generated illegally between 2019 and 2022. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has been investigating the scam, claiming that it involved a syndicate of senior government officials, private individuals, and political leaders.
As per the ED’s findings, over Rs. 2,000 crore of black money was generated during the period through bribes and illegal liquor sales.
The agency said that bribes were taken from liquor distillers on a per-case basis for liquor procured through the Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited (CSMCL), and country-made liquor was sold without proper records.
The money laundering case originated from a chargesheet filed by the Income Tax Department in 2022 before a Delhi court.
During the hearing, senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, representing the state of Chhattisgarh, opposed the bail pleas. He argued that the accused were still needed for further questioning in connection with other suspects. He said:
“The accused need to be confronted with the other accused in the case.”
On the other side, senior advocate Siddharth Agarwal, representing the two accused petitioners – Arvind Singh and Amit Singh – pushed for bail.
He argued that:
“Three chargesheets have been filed in the case and charges are yet to be framed. I (petitioner) was arrested with three persons. Six people including public servants have been granted bail. There are 457 witnesses. Investigation is still underway.”
The Supreme Court, after hearing both sides, gave partial relief to the petitioners. The bench allowed Arvind Singh and Amit Singh to be confronted with former excise minister Kawasi Lakhma, and then posted the matter for further hearing on May 9.
This high-profile liquor scam has raised several questions about the role of the excise department, CSMCL, and the government’s regulatory oversight during 2019–2022. The ED continues to investigate the alleged bribes taken to allow certain liquor distillers to form a cartel and fix market shares, severely affecting fair trade in the state.
The Supreme Court’s remarks have now put pressure on the state government to justify the continued custody of the accused when multiple chargesheets are already filed and bail has been given to others in similar positions.
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