ED conducts fresh raids at ex-Chhattisgarh CM Baghel in liquor scam case

Former Chattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel says attempt to block questions on tree felling for mining

he Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Friday [July 18, 2025] conducted fresh searches at the premises of former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel in connection with the money laundering probe linked to the alleged liquor scam in the State, said official sources. 

“ED is conducting raid at the premise of Chaitanya Baghel son of ex cm of Chhattisgarh, Bhupesh Baghel, in connection with liquor scam,” said an ED source, even as a heavy security contingent was seen outside the house in Bhilai town of Durg district, which the father-son duo share.

Earlier In March, the ED had conducted similar raids against Mr. Chaitanya Baghel and sources said that fresh evidence had been received in the case. 

The ex-CM meanwhile has claimed that the raids were an attempt to stop him from raising the issue of tree felling for the Adani group in the State legislative Assembly. 

“Today is the last day of the State legislative (monsoon) session. The issue of trees being felled for Adani in Tamnar was scheduled to be raised (in the House). Saheb has sent ED to Bhilai residence,” a message posted by his office on X said. 

He was referring to the Tamnar tehsil of Raigarh district where villagers have been protesting against tree felling for a coal mine project in the area. The mine is allotted to Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Limited (MAHAGENCO), which has contracted the MDO (mine developer cum operator) to the Adani group. Earlier this month, the senior Congress leader had visited Tamnar and extended support to the protesters. 

The alleged liquor scam in Chhattisgarh, as per the ED, was orchestrated between 2019 and 2022 when Chhattisgarh was governed by the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government.  In 2024, the Supreme Court quashed the ED’s first ECIR (FIR) in this case, which was based on a complaint from the Income Tax Department. The federal agency later filed a fresh case after it asked the Chhattisgarh EOW/ACB to file a fresh FIR against the accused based on material shared by the anti-money laundering agency.

The EOW/ACB registered the FIR on January 17 last year, about a month after the BJP defeated the incumbent Congress government in the 2023 assembly polls, and named 70 individuals and companies, including former excise minister Kawasi Lakhma, former chief secretary Vivek Dhand and others. The ED had earlier told the court that the “scam” resulted in a “massive loss” to the state exchequer and filled the pockets of the beneficiaries of a liquor syndicate with over ₹2,100 crore.

In a recent submission to the court, the EOW revised upwards the estimate of the loss caused to the exchequer due to the alleged scam, pegging it at ₹3,200 crore.