The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected separate petitions filed by the Enforcement Directorate and the Chhattisgarh government seeking to revoke the bail granted to Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, in connection with an alleged state liquor scheme.
A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice V Mohana upheld the relief granted to Baghel. However, the apex court removed critical observations previously made by the Chhattisgarh High Court against the state police’s Economic Offence Wing regarding its investigation.
High Court Findings And Parity Principle
The decision follows a January 2 order by Justice Arvind Kumar Verma of the Chhattisgarh High Court, which granted bail to Baghel in parallel probes conducted by the central financial enforcement agency and the state Anti-Corruption Bureau and Economic Offence Wing.
In its ruling on the money laundering case, the High Court determined that Baghel played a substantially lesser role compared to other key figures who had already secured bail from the Supreme Court. Highlighting the principle of parity, the court noted that principal accused and alleged beneficiaries—including Anwar Dhebar, Anil Tuteja, Arvind Singh, Arunpati Tripathi, and Trilok Singh Dhillon—were already out on bail.
The High Court further noted that the evidence assembled by enforcement officials, including digital logs, financial transactions, and statements taken under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, consisted primarily of documentary records that must be tested during trial rather than evaluated at the bail stage.
Arrest History And Legal Arguments
State representatives argued before the Supreme Court that Baghel functioned as a key organizer in the alleged offense. Legal counsel for Baghel countered that the High Court had delivered a thoroughly reasoned decision after two years of active investigation.
Regarding the state probe, the High Court had faulted investigators for procedural failures, pointing out that an accused named Lakshmi Narayan Bansal was not arrested despite an active open-ended warrant issued by a special court.
Baghel was initially taken into custody by the Enforcement Directorate on July 18 of last year during its money laundering investigation. State authorities subsequently placed him under arrest on September 24 while he remained incarcerated.
