Chaitanya Baghel, son of Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel, was released from jail after being granted bail in cases related to the alleged liquor scam in Chhattisgarh. The release was met with celebration by Congress supporters.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted searches at the residence of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel in Raipur and Bhilai on Wednesday. The agency also searched the residences of a senior police officer and a close associate of the former chief minister. The CBI is tight-lipped about the matter in which the searches are taking place. Further details are awaited. Recently, the Enforcement Directorate had conducted searches at Baghel's residence in connection with an alleged liquor scam case.
The Enforcement Directorate on Monday raided the premises of former Chhattisgarh chief minister and senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel as part of a money laundering investigation against his son in the alleged liquor scam case and seized about Rs 30 lakh apart from some documents, official sources said.
The sources said that Chaitnaya Baghel was arrested under section 19 of the anti-money laundering as he was allegedly not cooperating during the searches that came about following receipt of fresh evidence in the case.
Vijay Baghel and Jogi accuse the chief minister of prompting liquor vends across the state.
If the corruption issue doesn't claim Mr Baghel, the Congress's chances in the assembly election later this year are good, observes Aditi Phadnis.
The Congress leader, who resigned as the chief minister Sunday night, emerged victorious in the Patan assembly seat, defeating BJP candidate Vijay Baghel by 19,723 votes in the state assembly elections held last month.
The Congress on Sunday named Baghel, a five-time MLA from Patan, to head the state Congress Legislature Party. Baghel, who took charge as Congress state president Congress after the 2013 assembly polls, was credited for the massive victory of the party in the recent assembly polls where Congress won 68 seats in the 90-member House.
The Enforcement Directorate, which has been investigating the Mahadev app-linked money laundering case for more than a year, alleged in the past that its probe has shown involvement of various high-ranking politicians and bureaucrats from Chhattisgarh, where the two main promoters of the app hail from.
An organisational meeting of the Punjab Congress in Ludhiana, aimed at preparing for the 2027 assembly elections, was marred by protests and "go back" slogans against senior leaders Bhupesh Baghel and Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, highlighting the party's persistent internal divisions.
Baghel will take the oath at 5 pm on Monday, December 17.
The Chhattisgarh High Court granted bail to Chaitanya Baghel, son of former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, in two cases related to the alleged liquor scam. The bail was granted in cases lodged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Chhattisgarh Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB)/Economic Offences Wing (EOW).
A special CBI court reversed a magisterial court order that had discharged former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel from a case regarding the alleged circulation of a sleaze video purportedly depicting former minister Rajesh Munat in 2017. The reversal implies Baghel will have to face trial unless he gets relief from a higher court.
Despite claims from Congress general secretary Bhupesh Baghel that there are no objections to Amrinder Singh Raja Warring's continuation as Punjab unit president, a significant faction of leaders, including Jalandhar MP Charanjit Singh Channi, are actively pushing for his replacement, citing the need for an 'uncompromised' leader.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau/Economic Offence Wing (ACB/EOW) has claimed in its chargesheet that Chaitanya, son of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, received Rs 200 crore to Rs 250 crore as his share from an alleged liquor scam in the state.
Chhattisgarh's latest police recruitment exam results have drawn widespread attention after a bizarre mix of candidate names, such as 'News', 'Space Rani', 'He Ram' and 'Tufail', surfaced on the qualifying list, prompting the Opposition Congress to allege irregularities, even as candidates came forward to defend their unique monikers.
Unidentified men allegedly snatched the mobile phone of BJP MLA Dharamlal Kaushik during his morning walk in Raipur, leading to a political row over law and order in Chhattisgarh.
A 19-year-old man allegedly snatched the mobile phone of BJP MLA Dharamlal Kaushik during his morning walk in Raipur. The accused was arrested within eight hours, but the incident has sparked political controversy.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) seized cash and gold worth crores during searches related to the alleged Rs 2,800-crore Chhattisgarh liquor scam. The raids targeted liquor traders, chartered accountants, and corporate entities suspected of handling proceeds from the scam.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has alleged that Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, handled over Rs 1,000 crore worth of proceeds from a liquor scam and used Rs 16.7 crore for his real estate project.
Congress MP from Jalandhar, Charanjit Singh Channi, was conspicuous by his absence when party leader Rahul Gandhi spoke in a debate in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, bringing to the fore the recent rift within the party's state unit.
The Supreme Court declined to examine a plea challenging a PMLA provision, stating the issue lies in the law's abuse, not the law itself. The court allowed the petitioner to approach the High Court if procedures weren't followed.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided the premises of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel in Bhilai town as part of a money laundering investigation against his son, Chaitanya Baghel, in the alleged liquor scam case. Baghel alleged that the raids were aimed at discouraging him after he was made Congress's in-charge for Punjab and that the BJP is frustrated because he was discharged of all charges by the special CBI court in Raipur in connection with an alleged 7-year-old (sex) CD case.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has filed a Rs 500 crore defamation case against Congress leaders for alleging land grabbing by him and his family. The lawsuit follows a press conference where Congress leaders claimed Sarma possessed benami land.
'Some people may not like what I am saying, but shortcomings have to be pointed out. These deficiencies should be rectified within the next three months.' 'This is Gorakhpur, where our CM himself resides. If such shortcomings exist here, then what will happen?'
A day before the assembly poll results, the Congress on Friday appointed observers for Maharashtra and Jharkhand to oversee the post-election scenarios.
A BJP Kisan Morcha leader has been detained for questioning in connection with the alleged cultivation of illegal opium on a farm in Durg district, Chhattisgarh. The leader has been suspended from the party amid the controversy.
A BJP Kisan Morcha leader and two others have been arrested in Chhattisgarh for allegedly cultivating opium worth Rs 8 crore in a maize field. The illegal cultivation was discovered on farmland between Samoda, Jhenjhari, and Sirsa villages.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has ordered strict action against illegal opium farming after several cases surfaced in the state. The government has instructed departments to investigate and ensure stringent action against those involved.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday wrested power from Congress in Chhattisgarh, winning 54 of the 90 seats in the state assembly, while the grand old party got 35 seats, a far cry from the 68 it bagged in the last elections.
Nine out of 13 ministers in the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government in Chhattisgarh have suffered defeat in the state assembly polls.
The Congress party has formally appealed to the Election Commission, demanding an immediate reversal of the rejection of Meenakshi Natarajan's nomination for the Rajya Sabha polls, labelling the decision as 'egregious' and a 'subversion of democracy'.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday claimed Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel was busy playing a game on his mobile phone during a Congress meeting over selection of candidates for the upcoming assembly polls as he knows his party will not retain power in the state.
The Baghel government had earlier said it fulfilled the 2018 promise and waived agriculture loans worth Rs 9,270 crore of 18.82 lakh farmers in the state.
The agency had in October arrested Sameer Vishnoi, an IAS officer of the state, and two others, after conducting several raids in the case.
Authorities in Chhattisgarh have uncovered illegal opium cultivation, leading to seizures and political accusations. The discovery follows a previous incident involving a BJP leader, raising questions about the state government's role.
Amid speculation about the agreement to be the chief minister of the state just for two-and-a-half years, Baghel said, "The high command instructed me to take the oath (as chief minister), so I took the oath. When they will say someone else will be the chief minister, then it will be so. Such agreements happen in a coalition government."
Here is a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis of the ruling Congress in Chhattisgarh.
The ED said Das stated that his first statement given to the agency on November 3 last year in which he cited Baghel's name was "true and correct".
Amid a talk of leadership change in Chhattisgarh, a number of legislators from the state has arrived in the national capital in support of Baghel, who is also reaching Delhi.
