Chhattisgarh liquor scam: ED files final prosecution complaint

The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Friday (December 26, 2025) filed the final prosecution complaint in the alleged liquor scam case in Chhattisgarh, naming 59 persons, taking the total number of accused in the money laundering case to 81.

ED’s counsel Saurabh Kumar Pande told The Hindu that the Supreme Court had on September 16 given a time limit of three months for filing the prosecution complaint and the order was uploaded on September 26. Complying with the directions, the agency filed the prosecution complaint before a PMLA court here.

Earlier, 22 persons were named accused in the case and several of them were arrested and prosecution complaint filed against them in the past after completing the investigation related to them.

Among the new 59 accused are former Deputy Secretary at Chief Minister’s office Soumya Chaurasia, former IAS officer Niranjan Das, liquor licence holders, liquor manufacturers and excise department officials, he said.

The liquor “scam” in the State surfaced during the previous Congress regime. The alleged scam resulted in a “massive loss” to the State exchequer that was pegged over ₹3000 crore, Mr. Pande had earlier said.

While the State’s Economic Offences Wing/Anti Corruption Bureau has filed an FIR into the alleged scam, the the ED is probing the money laundering purportedly linked to it.

Earlier this year, ED arrested Congress MLA and former Excise Minister Kawasi Lakhma and Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, in July in connection with the alleged liquor scam.

The ED claimed Mr. Lakhma was the main recipient of proceeds of crime, while Mr. Chaitanya Baghel played a key role in handling nearly ₹1,000 crore generated by the syndicate.