CG BREAKING: Anwar Dhebar and Arvind Singh get bail from Supreme Court in liquor scam case

The Supreme Court on Friday gave an important verdict in the money laundering case related to the famous liquor scam of Chhattisgarh and granted bail to the main accused Anwar Dhebar and Arvind Singh. A division bench of Justice Abhay S. Oka and Justice Ujjwal Bhuyan passed this order while hearing.

Anwar Dhebar was arrested on charges of money laundering on the basis of ECIR filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). During the hearing in the Supreme Court, it was argued on behalf of the defense that the case is getting delayed continuously and no concrete progress has been made by the prosecution yet. On this basis, the court granted bail to Anwar Dhebar.

ACB raided 13 different places on May 17
The investigation into the famous excise scam in Chhattisgarh has now intensified. The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on May 17 took an important step and conducted simultaneous raids at 13 different places in Raipur, Jagdalpur, Ambikapur, Dantewada and Sukma districts. This action has been taken after the alleged involvement of former Excise Minister Kawasi Lakhma.

According to the ACB, during the investigation it became clear that the then minister Lakhma, in connivance with the excise syndicate members, provided illegal financial benefits to himself and his associates. According to the information received, Lakhma hid the black money through his close relatives, friends and partners and also got it invested.

Rs 19 lakh in cash, several important documents, mobile phones, electronic devices, information related to bank accounts and land investment papers have been recovered in the raid. According to the Bureau, the seized materials are being analyzed and the legal process is ongoing.

Earlier, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided the residences of Kawasi Lakhma and his son Harish Kawasi on December 28. After this, Lakhma was arrested on January 15 and since then he is lodged in Raipur Central Jail. ED has filed a 3773-page charge sheet (challan) against him in this case, in which he has been described as the head of the syndicate in the liquor scam of Rs 2161 crore.

Know what is liquor scam

According to the challan, Lakhma had full knowledge of the scam and he played an important role in protecting the scam by bringing changes in the liquor policy. The charge sheet also mentions that the officers of the Excise Department had to take permission from senior officials before shop inspection, which was a way to benefit this syndicate.

So far, 21 people have been accused in this scam in the ED challan, including prominent names like Kawasi Lakhma (former Excise Minister), Anwar Dhebar, Anil Tuteja, Trilok Singh Dhillon, Chhattisgarh Distiller, Welcome Distiller, Top Security, Om Sai Beverage, Dishita Venture, Nest Gen Power, Bhatia Wine Merchant, and Siddharth Singhania. Given the seriousness of the case, the agencies are continuously engaged in investigation and it is likely that more big revelations may be made in the coming days.