BILASPUR: The Chhattisgarh High Court has granted bail to Saumya Chaurasia, a former deputy secretary in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) during the previous Congress government in two cases linked to liquor scam, according to news agency PTI.The state Economic Offences Wing (EOW) is investigating the criminal aspects of the scam, having registered an FIR on 17 January 2024, while the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is probing money laundering after filing an ECIR on 11 April 2024.Justice Arvind Kumar Verma had reserved his order on 24 February after hearing both bail applications, and on Saturday, the court granted bail to Chaurasia in both the EOW and ED cases.According to the ED, the liquor scam occurred in Chhattisgarh between 2019 and 2023 during the Congress government of Bhupesh Baghel. It involved allegations that a criminal syndicate, allegedly in collusion with political and administrative authorities, supplied liquor to government shops while extorting illegal commissions. The ED has estimated the loss to the state exchequer at Rs 2,883 crore.The EOW’s counsel, Additional Advocate General Praveen Das, opposed the bail application, claiming that Chaurasia “commanded exceptional influence and authority, wielding the same to orchestrate and facilitate the nefarious operations of the syndicate implicated in this colossal liquor scam”. He added that investigations uncovered her “active and conscious participation in the criminal conspiracy, placing her at the nerve centre of the syndicate’s operations”, citing incriminating digital evidence.Chaurasia’s lawyer, Siddhartha Dave, countered with 20 arguments, stating that her arrest was unnecessary, no incriminating material existed, and that she was not named in the FIR or chargesheets.The court’s order granting bail in the EOW case noted: “these circumstances unmistakably indicate that the trial is unlikely to commence and conclude in the near future and is bound to consume considerable time before reaching its logical conclusion”. It added that continued detention “would not serve the ends of justice”.In the ED case, the central agency claimed Chaurasia had received around Rs 43.50 crore from the proceeds of the liquor scam and allegedly handled, assisted, acquired, and possessed proceeds of crime amounting to approximately Rs 115.5 crore.Dave argued with 26 points that Chaurasia is a woman, the probe is complete, no proceeds of crime were recovered, and the case largely relied on statements of co-accused. He further stated that selective arrests over years and a prolonged trial justified granting bail.ED counsel Zohaib Hossain maintained that Chaurasia played a key supervisory role in money laundering and that WhatsApp chats constitute valid evidence, with no requirement for recovery from the accused. He stressed the “gravity of the offence” and added that delays in trial are not grounds for bail, and her arrest after two years was justified.Justice Verma granted bail, observing that the investigation was substantially complete. The court noted that “the case against the applicant is largely based on statements and inferential allegations, the evidentiary value of which will be examined during trial”.The order also cited Supreme Court directives on parity, highlighting that the alleged principal conspirators have already been granted bail. It noted: “The SC has already granted bail to the applicant in the coal scam as well as in the DMF scam, and therefore, continued detention in the present matter would be inconsistent with the settled principle of parity.”The court further referred to a “troubling pattern” against Chaurasia, mentioning that she “faces six arrests across multiple cases by diverse agencies (ED/CBI), entailing considerable aggregate incarcerations”. She was first arrested in the coal levy scam in 2022.
