BJP Legal Cell chief sends confidential letter to PMO, MHA, CM and Chief Secretary, urging central investigation into excise-political nexus
🟧 Former CM, senior IAS and IPS officers named in letter
🟨 RTI records “missing”, tender fraud, software tampering and illegal cash channels alleged
🟩 State EOW/ACB probe termed biased, selective, and protective of influential accused
🟦 Revelations based on The Hitavada’s exclusive investigation by journalist Mukesh S. Singh
By : Akshay Lahre
Raipur । Mounting a sharp offensive over the multi-crore liquor scam recently unearthed in Chhattisgarh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has now formally stepped into the arena, demanding that the matter be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for an independent and impartial probe.
The development follows The Hitavada’s exclusive investigative report, based on a confidential letter submitted by BJP State Office Incharge and State Legal Cell Chief Naresh Chandra Gupta — a practising lawyer and whistleblower within the ruling BJP who has previously exposed several high-profile scams — to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Union Home Ministry, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, and the Chief Secretary.
Dated April 10, the letter spans over 200 pages and includes judicial records, RTI correspondences, internal departmental documents, and financial annexures. It urges urgent central intervention into what Gupta terms a “deep-rooted excise-political-financial nexus” active between 2019 and 2023.
Key documents attached include the EOW chargesheet dated 17 January 2024, a Chhattisgarh High Court order dated 30 September 2024 (MCRC 5081/2024), and a trial court ruling from 24 February 2025. These, Gupta alleges, reveal systemic lapses and point to wilful omissions in the ongoing state investigation.
The letter alleges that the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) conducted a selective and prejudiced probe that failed to act on critical financial leads and protected high-level individuals. Irregularities flagged include non-transparent barcode tenders, repeated contract allotments without fresh bidding, inconsistent warehouse stock records, manipulated e-payment logs, and repeated RTI denials citing unavailable records.
Prominently named in the letter are former CM Bhupesh Baghel, former Chief Secretary Vivek Dhand, retired IAS officer Anil Tuteja, former CSMCL MD Arunpati Tripathi, suspended Deputy Secretary Soumya Chaurasia, Ashish Verma, Manish Banchhor, Sanjay Mishra, Manish Mishra, Vikas alias Subbu, Sanjay Diwan, Arvind Singh, and syndicate financier Anwar Dhebar.
One of the most explosive claims is that cash from illegal liquor sales was allegedly collected through local police stations and transported to a safe house operated by Anwar Dhebar, with ASP (Intelligence) Abhishek Maheshwari purportedly facilitating the movement. This trail — described as a “cash channel” — was reportedly never investigated by the state agencies.
The letter also details suspected tampering in the Excise Department’s software system, allegedly to facilitate ghost dispatches, fake inventory entries, and inflated stock reports. These manipulations were reportedly executed under instructions from former Excise Secretary A.P. Tripathi, with NIC official Sisir Raizada providing technical support.
Several distillery owners and licensees also find mention in the complaint, including Navin Kedia, Bhupender Pakl Singh Bhatia, Rajendra Jaiswal, Siddharth Singhania, Sanjay and Manish Mishra (Nexgen), Atul Kumar Singh, Mukesh Manchanda (Om Sai), and Ashish Saurabh Kedia (Dishita Ventures).
A senior official in the State Secretariat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said:
“The documents presented in this confidential letter — including court rulings, RTI denials, and revenue discrepancies — make a strong prima facie case under IPC Sections 409, 420, 467, 120B and Prevention of Corruption Act Sections 13(1)(d) and 17. This is no longer a matter that state agencies can credibly handle.”
In his concluding remarks, Gupta wrote:
“Given Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s declared zero-tolerance policy on corruption, the only path to an unbiased, credible investigation lies through the CBI. Public trust in the ongoing probe has been irreparably eroded.”
