Vijay Bhatia’s Petition Dismissed by Chhattisgarh High Court in Liquor Scam

In a major development, the Chhattisgarh High Court has dismissed the criminal writ petition filed by businessman Vijay Bhatia, who is implicated in the state’s widely discussed liquor scam, involving crores of rupees. The decision came during a hearing on Thursday before a division bench headed by Chief Justice Ramesh Kumar Sinha. During the proceedings, senior advocate Meenakshi Arora, representing Bhatia, raised objections, claiming the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested Bhatia without issuing proper summons. The ACB’s counsel, Saurabh Pandey, countered by presenting that the investigation agency had interrogated around 300 witnesses and compiled adequate evidence. Pandey also clarified that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had handed over Bhatia to the ACB on May 31, 2025, and he was presented before a magistrate in Raipur on June 1, within the stipulated 24-hour timeframe. The court, after considering the arguments presented by both sides, decided to reject Vijay Bhatia’s writ petition. The preliminary investigation reveals that Bhatia allegedly made around 15 crore rupees by supplying liquor from a foreign company. He is also accused of investing the illicit earnings in property. Both the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and ACB are currently investigating the case. Vijay Bhatia is presently in judicial custody as the investigating agencies conduct their inquiries.