Chaitanya Baghel's Judicial Custody: Unpacking the Chhattisgarh Liquor Scam

In a significant development from Raipur, Chaitanya Baghel, scion of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, has been remanded to judicial custody until August 4. This follows a special PMLA court's ruling amid allegations of a lucrative liquor scam. Chaitanya's continued custody comes after a five-day stint with the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The ED, represented by Advocate Saurabh Pandey, asserted that further judicial custody was warranted. Meanwhile, Chaitanya's counsel, Advocate Faizal Rizvi, contested the request, citing purported procedural oversights and the agency's alleged suppression of critical documents. "Our client was denied an opportunity for due discourse," Rizvi emphasized to reporters, stressing the perceived bias in ED's actions.

Amid heightened security during the court proceedings, former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, alongside Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, attended the hearing. Political tensions were palpable as the state's BJP chief, Kiran Singh Deo, defended ED's approach, dismissing claims of political vendetta. Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao criticized Congress's unsuccessful statewide economic protest, while endorsing the ED's charges, highlighting significant financial discrepancies.

(With inputs from agencies.)