desk
Share
News Topical, Digital Desk : In a major move in the Chhattisgarh liquor scam, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday seized assets worth more than ₹100 crore belonging to former excise commissioner Niranjan Das, 30 other excise officials, and three major distilleries. The action is part of an investigation into an alleged ₹2,800 crore scam that occurred during the previous Congress government.
The ED claims that a criminal syndicate of senior state bureaucrats and political figures completely took over the excise department from 2019 to 2023. The 78 real estate properties seized include luxury bungalows, flats in premium complexes, commercial shops and agricultural land. Apart from this, 197 investments were also attached, which include fixed deposits, bank balances, life insurance policies and share-mutual fund portfolio.
Where are the roots of the scam?
According to the ED, assets worth Rs 38.21 crore belong to Niranjan Das and 30 other excise officials. Das is an IAS officer. The agency said the seizure exposes deep-rooted collusion among the officials who were responsible for the state's revenue security.
On the other hand, assets worth Rs 68.16 crore belong to three major Chhattisgarh-based distilleries: Chhattisgarh Distilleries Limited, Bhatia Wine Merchants Private Limited and Welcome Distilleries Private Limited.
The ED alleges that Das and Arun Pati Tripathi (then MD, Chhattisgarh State Marketing Corporation Limited) operated a parallel excise system bypassing state controls, generating huge illegal profits.
Syndicate exposed in new charge sheet
The ED filed a fresh charge sheet in the case on December 26, detailing widespread corruption in the excise department between 2019 and 2023. This led to the detection of proceeds of crime worth ₹2,883 crore.
The investigation revealed that a well-organized criminal syndicate manipulated the state's liquor policy for personal gain, involving multiple layers of illegal commissions and unaccounted liquor sales.
A total of 81 people have been named as accused, including Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, Niranjan Das, former Joint Secretary Anil Tuteja (retired IAS), former Excise Minister Kawasi Lakhma, and former Deputy Secretary in the Chief Minister's Office, Soumya Chaurasia. Also accused are Anwar Dhebar, elder brother of Raipur Mayor Ayaz Dhebar, the three distilleries, and several other private individuals.
Several administrative officers were involved
The ED said the investigation has revealed a deep-rooted conspiracy within the state's then-administrative and political system. Chaitanya Baghel and Lakhma are accused of approving policies and using illegal funds for their businesses and real estate projects. Saumya Chaurasia has been accused of being the main coordinator of illegal cash handling and the appointment of favorable officials in the Excise Department.
According to the agency, excise officials received a fixed commission of ₹140 per case for permitting liquor sales in their area. Niranjan Das alone took bribes of ₹5 million per month to facilitate the scam, generating criminal proceeds of over ₹18 crore.
Four main channels of the scam
The syndicate generated illegal profits from the liquor trade through four methods: first, illegal commissions; second, unaccounted sales; third, cartel commissions; and fourth, commissions collected from foreign liquor manufacturers using FL-10A licenses. The ED says this entire system was designed to circumvent state control.
--Advertisement--
