Raipur: In a major development on Tuesday, the High Court threw out all 13 petitions of the accused in the liquor scam case. The petitions termed as baseless the FIRs filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). The court, after a careful appreciation of the evidence on record, held that FIRs had been filed on adequate evidence and thus affirmed the same. Further, the court cancelled the earlier provided interim relief on route to the charges framed against one of the accused, ex-IAS officer Anil Tuteja.
High Court Files FIR
The case revolves around some big names such as Anil Tuteja, Yash Tuteja, his son, Anwar Dhebar and others. These FIRs claim that with the support of different politicians and businessmen, these people conspired to carry out a huge scam of over ₹2,161 crores through the manipulation of the liquor business in Chhattisgarh. This led to investigations by the ED and EOW, which established that the accused had used his office to reap from the unlawful sale of liquor, and the state realized huge losses. The court’s dismissal of the petitions capitalises on the investigating agencies’ findings.
Further Legal Action
The decision of the High Court is likely to have several effects, especially regarding the participation of the liquor manufacturing industries. The ED opined that these companies were the main beneficiaries of the scam that employed the help of illegal holograms to perpetrate the photocopying of fake liquor.
The court has made arrests possible in relation to these companies, and other related legal action may also be taken in the coming days. With the said interim relief no longer in place, expect the accused, which covers former government officials and businessmen, to face increased pressure as the probe on the case goes on.
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