Raipur
A political storm has erupted after the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) filed a charge sheet in the liquor scam case. The supplementary charge sheet, filed two days ago, mentions a Bhupesh Baghel cabinet meeting. The new licensing system (FL-10A/10B) was approved in the cabinet in February 2020, and an order was issued later.
Chhattisgarh Assembly Speaker Dr Raman Singh said the Congress government’s actions were tantamount to plundering the state exchequer. He said such a crime had never occurred in Indian politics before.
Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee President Deepak Baij, on the other hand, called it a conspiracy to defame the Congress party. He asked who would investigate the three per cent commission allegations against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. He questioned if the investigating agencies were only meant for the Congress.
BJP MLA Purandar Mishra from Raipur North said all Congress leaders and the entire cabinet were involved in the liquor scam. He said the Congress’s policy was to encourage corruption. Mishra stated that the cabinet itself had changed the liquor policy.
The EOW has stepped up its investigation into the liquor scam. Atul Singh and Mukesh Manchanda, who are in a Jharkhand jail, are being brought to Raipur on transit remand. Both are directors of Shri Om Sai Beverages Private Limited.
A scam similar to the one in Chhattisgarh also occurred in Jharkhand. The names of Atul Singh and Mukesh Manchanda also came up in the Jharkhand case. Two months ago, the Jharkhand Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested them after they failed to provide satisfactory answers.
EOW charge sheet
The EOW stated in its charge sheet that a new excise policy was implemented from 1 April 2020. The policy’s justification was to introduce a new licensing system (FL-10A/10B) to address the shortage of foreign liquor brands in retail shops.
The cabinet approved this proposal on 8 February 2020, and an order was issued on 11 February 2020. The EOW’s charge sheet mentioned the cabinet meeting.
A bigger crime has not happened in Indian politics: Raman
Speaker Dr Raman Singh said the Chhattisgarh liquor scam was the biggest crime in the history of Indian politics. He said money was coming in and being split into two parts. He said this was an authenticated fact.
Who will investigate the 3% commission: Baij
Deepak Baij said the EOW and Enforcement Directorate (ED) were using various conspiracies to target and defame Congress leaders.
He also mentioned irregularities like a jug purchased for ₹32,000, a television worth ₹1 lakh purchased for ₹10 lakh, a tracksuit worth ₹1,400 purchased for ₹2,500 in the name of the Bastar Olympics, and slippers worth ₹100 purchased for ₹1,300.
₹14 crore to Vijay Bhatia, ₹11 crore to Sanjay, Manish, Abhishek
The EOW filed its sixth charge sheet in a Raipur special court on Tuesday. The charge sheet stated that Vijay Kumar Bhatia, associated with Om Sai Beverages, received ₹14 crore.
The EOW investigation stated that Sanjay Mishra, Manish Mishra, and Abhishek Singh, associated with Nexgen Power Engitech, received ₹11 crore. The syndicate committed the scam by implementing the FL-10 A/B licence system.
FL-10 licence
FL-10 stands for Foreign Liquor-10. The Chhattisgarh government issued this licence for purchasing foreign liquor.
- FL-10 A: Licensees could sell Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL) from manufacturers in any state to the department.
- FL-10 B: Licensees could sell foreign-brand liquor from state-based manufacturers to the department.
Syndicate behind the scam
The EOW revealed that former administrative officials — Anil Tuteja, Arunpati Tripathi, Niranjan Das, Anwar Dhebar, Vikas Agarwal, and Arvind Singh — formed a syndicate.
This syndicate had a system for illegal commission collection on liquor supply to government-run shops.
₹248 crore loss to government
The EOW stated that in 2020-21, three private companies — Om Sai Beverages Private Limited, Nexgen Power Engitech Private Limited, and Dishita Ventures Private Limited — were given the contract.
The government incurred a loss of around ₹248 crore by giving licences to these companies.
