Bilaspur: Chhattisgarh high court has rejected a bail plea filed by jailed Congress MLA Kawasi Lakhma. The court while turning down Lakhma’s plea observed that the charges against the Congress leader are serious and currently being investigated.
Lakhma, a former Excise Minister under the then Congress government has approached the court with his bail petition, submitting that he was framed in the case under a political conspiracy. He argued that there is no solid evidence against him and he was made an accused in the case only on the basis of testimonies of co-accused.
The Enforcement Directorate [ED] however opposed Lakhma’s plea, submitting that his release could influence witnesses and investigation to which the court agreed and turned down Lakhma’s petition.
Lakhma a sitting MLA from Bastar was arrested by ED in connection with alleged multi-crore Chhattisgarh liquor scam which according to the agency flourished in the state during Congress government.
Lakhma was arrested after he appeared before the agency’s zonal office at Raipur. He is currently being lodged at Raipur Central Jail.
The agency on January 15 claimed that Lakhma was receiving Rs 2 crore on a monthly basis out of the proceeds of crime generated under Rs 2100 alleged liquor scam.
“Lakhma was paid Rs 2 crore on a monthly basis, which includes two separate payments of Rs 50 lakhs and Rs 1.5 crore. The information about the money being delivered to Lakhma was revealed to the agency by a jailed official of the excise department Arun Pati Tripathi and another accused in the case Arvind Singh, informed ED’s counsel Saurabh Pandey.
“Two people Arun Pati Tripathi and Arvind Singh had given statements against him (Lakhma). Singh had disclosed that the liquor cartel used to pay Rs 50 lakhs monthly to Lakhma while Tripathi had informed about an additional payment of Rs 1.5 crore (monthly) to the former minister, he added.
Lakhma however pleaded his innocence, claiming that he was framed in the case out of political vendetta and that the voice of a common man is being silenced.
Chhattisgarh liquor scam case
The alleged liquor scam grabbed attention after ED following its investigation into the case claimed that the said scam resulted in a massive loss to the state exchequer and filled the pockets of the beneficiaries with more than Rs 2,100 crore in proceeds of crime generated by the commission of scheduled offences.
The agency has already arrested several prominent figures in the case, including former IAS officer Anil Tuteja, Arvind Singh, Trilok Singh Dhillon, Anwar Dhebar, Arun Pati Tripathi (ITS), and Anwar Dhebar, and Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.
A separate First Information Report (FIR) naming 70 people including Lakhma was also lodged by the state’s Economic Offences Wing (FIR) in January 2024.
In the supplementary chargesheet filed before the court in June this year, the EOW had alleged the former Excise Minister for receiving Rs 60 crore from the scam.
“Under his protection a well-planned scam was executed through departmental officers, associate and contractors. It has been proved that Kawasi Lakhma has received Rs 64 crore as his share as a result of the excise scam,” EOW had stated in a statement.
