The Supreme Court heard two bail requests in a Rs 20 billion liquor scam in Chhattisgarh on Monday and revoked the state government on Monday and asked how long the defendants would be jailed. Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan pointed out that three charges were filed and the investigation was still underway.
“The investigation will be carried out at its own pace. It will continue to last forever. Three charges have been filed. You are actually punishing the person by detaining him. You have made the process punished. This is not a case of terror or triple murder,” the bench said verbally. ”
Senior defense attorney Mahesh Jethmalani attended the state, objecting to the bail request and believed the defendant must face-to-face with other defendants in the case. Siddharth Agarwal, a senior advocate who appeared for the defendant, believes that three charges have been filed in the case and no charges have been filed.
“I (the petitioner) was arrested by three people. Six people, including civil servants, were released on bail. There are 457 witnesses. The investigation is still ongoing.” The Supreme Court allowed petitioners Arvind Singh and Amit Singh to face with former Consumption Tax Minister Kawasi Lakhma and released the matter on May 9.
The Enforcement Bureau claims the scam was caused by a group of senior government officials, private and political executives, which the union generated more than Rs 20 billion on the defiled money in 2019-22. The money laundering case stems from the 2022 income tax department allegations filed in the Delhi court.
The ED charges that bribes were collected from winemakers in the state from CSMCL, the state agency used to buy and sell alcohol, while rural liquor was sold. According to the federal investigation agency, bribes are extracted from distillers to allow them to form cartels and have a fixed market share.
