New Delhi, Feb 9 The Supreme Court on Monday said it would hear after a week the Chhattisgarh government's appeal challenging the bail granted to Chaitanya Baghel, son of former chief minister and senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel, in alleged liquor scam cases.
A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and N V Anjaria was told by senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, appearing for Chhattisgarh, that one of the vital witnesses in the case was not coming forward after Chaitanya Baghel was granted bail.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has separately challenged his bail in a related money laundering case.
The bench said it would hear the matter after a week.
The top court also dealt with a separate plea filed by former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel's deputy secretary Saumya Chaurasia, who was arrested by the ED in December last year in connection with the alleged liquor scam in the state.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Chaurasia, said the apex court had earlier granted bail to Chaurasia in other cases in which she was arrested.
"They have again registered a fresh FIR and arrested her in December," Rohatgi said, adding this is the sixth time that she has been arrested.
The bench asked her to approach the Chhattisgarh High Court for bail.
It said she may file her petition before the high court within a week and the high court may take her plea on a priority basis and decide it within two weeks.
The bench was also informed that Chaurasia was also arrested by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in a separate case on January 2.
The top court said she may move the high court to seek bail in that case as well.
Chaurasia, who was earlier granted bail by the apex court in the coal levy scam case, was re-arrested in the liquor cases by the probe agencies.
On January 15, the apex court deferred the hearing on the Chhattisgarh government's appeal challenging the grant of bail to Chaitanya Baghel.
While the state government alleged that Chaitanya Baghel was one of the prime accused and masterminds in the sensational case, his counsel had argued that the high court delivered a well-considered judgement in the case in which the probe was ongoing for the last two years.
On January 2, the high court granted bail to Chaitanya Baghel in two cases linked to the alleged liquor scam.
