Raipur, Jan 2 The Chhattisgarh High Court has granted bail to Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel, in two high-profile cases linked to the alleged multi-crore liquor scam.
The order brings significant relief to Chaitanya Baghel, who has been in judicial custody for several months and is now likely to be released, subject to compliance with bail conditions imposed by the court.
A single bench of Justice Arvind Kumar Verma granted bail to Baghel in the money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) as well as in the corruption case being probed by the state’s Anti-Corruption Bureau/Economic Offences Wing (ACB/EOW).
The court had reserved its verdict on December 19, 2025, after hearing detailed arguments from both sides.
Chaitanya Baghel was arrested by the ED in July 2025 during its probe into alleged money laundering linked to the liquor scam, which is said to have taken place between 2019 and 2022 during the Congress government led by his father.
While already in judicial custody, he was subsequently arrested by the ACB/EOW in September 2025 in connection with the predicate offence involving allegations of corruption and criminal conspiracy.
The ED has alleged that Chaitanya Baghel was at the helm of a liquor syndicate, personally handling nearly Rs 1,000 crore in proceeds of crime and laundering funds through real estate ventures.
According to the agency, the alleged racket caused substantial losses to the state exchequer through the illegal collection of commissions on liquor sales.
Similarly, the ACB/EOW has alleged that Chaitanya Baghel received between Rs 200 crore and Rs 250 crore as his share while coordinating the syndicate with high-level protection.
During the bail hearings, Baghel’s counsel argued that the actions of the ED and the ACB/EOW were unconstitutional, pointing to procedural lapses and alleging political motivation behind the prosecution.
The defence also highlighted that earlier courts had observed irregularities, though not illegalities, in the arrest process.
The alleged liquor scam, estimated to be worth over Rs 3,000 crore with potential proceeds exceeding Rs 3,500 crore, involves claims of illegal holograms, unaccounted liquor production, and diversion of excise revenue.
Multiple charge sheets filed in the case have named several politicians, officials and businessmen. Former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, describing the investigations as a misuse of central agencies.
With bail granted in both cases, Chaitanya Baghel is expected to walk out of jail shortly, even as the investigations continue.
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