New Delhi, Feb 3 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted interim bail to former Chhattisgarh Excise Minister and sitting Congress MLA Kawasi Lakhma in corruption and money laundering cases linked to the State’s multi-crore liquor scam.

Noting his prolonged incarceration and the unlikelihood of an early conclusion of the trial, a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant granted the relief to Lakhma in cases registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act being probed by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The Bench, also comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul Pancholi, noted that Lakhma has been in custody since January 2025 and that the prosecution proposes to examine as many as 865 witnesses in the EOW case and 117 witnesses in the ED case.

The apex court also took into account that, out of 52 accused named in the cases, 22 were arrested, and 19 have already been granted bail.

“Having regard to the multitude of allegations, the nature of the scam which engulfed the State, and the large number of accused and witnesses, investigation and trial are likely to take a reasonably long time. A hurried trial may also have an adverse impact on the prosecution’s case,” the Supreme Court observed, adding that indefinite incarceration could infringe rights flowing from Article 21 of the Constitution.

However, the CJI Kant-led Bench imposed stringent conditions while granting interim bail.

Lakhma has been restrained from entering Chhattisgarh, except for attending court proceedings, for which he may enter the State a day prior to the hearing. He will not be granted exemption from personal appearance before the trial court except on health grounds.

The apex court also directed that Lakhma would not travel abroad and must deposit his passport before the trial court. He has been asked to disclose his place of stay along with his mobile number to the jurisdictional police station and the ED officer, and the number cannot be changed without the permission of the Special Judge.

While permitting him to participate in public events and functions, the CJI Kant-led Bench made it clear that Lakhma will refrain from making any statement on the allegations that are the subject matter of the charge sheets or are under investigation. He has also been barred from directly or indirectly influencing witnesses or tampering with evidence.

Former Excise Minister Kawasi Lakhma, who held the portfolio between 2019 and 2023, was arrested by the ED on January 15, 2025, and later by the EOW on April 2, 2025, in connection with the alleged liquor scam that is estimated to have caused a loss of over Rs 2,100 crore to the State exchequer.

The state government and the ED had opposed Lakhma’s bail plea, contending that the probe was continuing and had revealed alleged collusion involving ministers, political functionaries and senior officials, resulting in substantial loss to the public exchequer.

–IANS

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