Chhattisgarh High Court Dismisses 13 Petitions in Rs 2,000 Crore Liquor Scam Case

The Chhattisgarh High Court dismissed 13 petitions challenging cases by the Enforcement Directorate and the state's Anti Corruption Bureau/Economic Offences Wing regarding an alleged Rs 2,000 crore liquor scam. The verdict nullifies interim relief previously granted to the petitioners, including retired IAS officer Anil Tuteja and several businessmen.

The Chhattisgarh High Court on Tuesday dismissed 13 petitions filed by the accused in the alleged Rs 2,000 crore liquor scam, which challenged cases lodged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the state's Anti Corruption Bureau/ Economic Offences Wing (EOW).

A division bench of Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Ravindra Kumar Agrawal completed the hearing on the petitions on July 10, with the ruling pronounced on Tuesday, additional advocate general Vivek Sharma confirmed. The accused included retired IAS officer Anil Tuteja and businessman Anwar Debhar, amongst others.

The court's decision to dismiss the petitions also nullifies the previous orders of interim relief granted to the petitioners. The high court emphasized that the FIR and ECIR disclosed prima facie offences, and the investigation showed that the offences have caused significant financial losses to the state, estimating the proceeds of crime to be around Rs 2,161 crore.