Chhattisgarh: ED attaches Congress office and ex-minister Kawasi Lakhma’s assets in ₹2,100 crore liquor scam

In a significant development in the ongoing investigation into the massive liquor scam in Chhattisgarh, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached properties worth ₹6.15 crore, including a Congress party office and assets belonging to former excise minister Kawasi Lakhma and his son Harish Lakhma. This marks the first time the federal agency has attached assets of a political party under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The attached assets include the Congress Bhawan located in Sukma district headquarters, registered under the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee, a residential house in Raipur owned by Kawasi Lakhma, and another house in Sukma in the name of his son Harish. The ED’s provisional attachment order comes amid a probe into an alleged ₹2,100 crore liquor racket that operated in the state during the previous Congress-led government between 2019 and 2022.

Kawasi Lakhma, a six-time MLA from the Konta assembly seat and former excise minister in the Bhupesh Baghel government, was arrested by the ED in January 2025. His son Harish Lakhma serves as a panchayat president in Sukma. The agency alleges that Lakhma was a key figure in the liquor syndicate, receiving approximately ₹2 crore monthly over 36 months, amounting to ₹72 crore in illicit proceeds. The ED claims these illegal funds were used to construct the Congress office and the residential properties linked to the Lakhma family.

The investigation revealed that the liquor scam caused massive losses to the state exchequer, enriching the syndicate’s beneficiaries with over ₹2,100 crore. The ED further alleged that Lakhma played a pivotal role in policy changes, including the introduction of the FL-10A licence, which allowed license holders to profit from the foreign liquor segment. Despite being aware of the illegal operations, Lakhma allegedly did nothing to stop them and actively facilitated the syndicate’s activities by manipulating departmental procedures.

Following the attachment, a Congress spokesperson in Raipur condemned the ED’s move as part of a political conspiracy orchestrated by the BJP-led central government. The party vowed to provide detailed accounts of all funds used in constructing the Sukma Congress office. Meanwhile, Bhupesh Baghel accused the ED of targeting Congress leaders to tarnish their reputation ahead of upcoming elections.

The ED’s raids on the Lakhma family properties in Raipur, Sukma, and Dhamtari districts in December 2024 unearthed crucial evidence linking the proceeds of crime to immovable assets. Kawasi Lakhma remains in judicial custody as the investigation continues.