The Chhattisgarh High Court has rejected the petition of Vijay Bhatia, a businessman implicated in the state’s significant liquor scam. The court’s decision represents a setback for Bhatia. A division bench, with Chief Justice Ramesh Kumar Sinha presiding, heard the petition on Thursday. Meenakshi Arora, a senior advocate representing Bhatia, contended that the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested Vijay Bhatia without issuing a proper summons. The ACB’s representative, Saurabh Pandey, argued that the agency has questioned around 300 witnesses and gathered sufficient evidence. He further clarified that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) handed over Vijay Bhatia to the ACB on May 31, 2025, after which he was presented before a magistrate in Raipur on June 1, within a 24-hour period. After listening to all arguments, the court dismissed Vijay Bhatia’s writ petition. Preliminary investigations have revealed that Vijay Bhatia allegedly earned around 15 crore rupees by supplying liquor from a foreign company. It is alleged that the money gained from the scam was invested in real estate. The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and the ACB are jointly investigating the case. Vijay Bhatia is currently in judicial custody while the agencies continue their inquiry.
