Chhattisgarh govt asks CBI to probe Mahadev case involving ex-CM Bhupesh Baghel
The state's BJP govt has recommended a CBI probe into the case, in which the senior Congress member has been named among the accused by the Chhattisgarh Police.
New Delhi: In fresh trouble for senior Congress leader and former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Chhattisgarh has recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the Mahadev Online Book app case, people familiar with the development said on Sunday.
The federal agency will “soon” file a case based on the Chhattisgarh Police’s March 4 first information report (FIR), in which Baghel has been named as an accused along with Mahadev app promoters Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal. Besides, around 70 other FIRs registered in various police stations across the state in the last one year in connection with the Mahadev online betting and gaming app case will also be handed over to CBI.
“A letter with approval for a CBI probe was handed over on Friday along with the FIR and preliminary case documents,” a senior state government official said, requesting anonymity.
HT had exclusively reported on March 17 that the Chhattisgarh Police’s economic offences wing (EOW) has named Baghel as an accused in the Mahadev case pertaining to charges of cheating, criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, and forgery under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), as well as under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The official quoted above said the decision to hand over the probe to CBI was taken as the federal agency “is better equipped to unearth a larger conspiracy, probe the role of those whose names were kept out in the state police’s probe as several police officers are also allegedly involved”. “Besides, CBI is better placed to obtain extradition of (accused) Sourabh Chandrakar and Ravi Uppal from the UAE,” the official added.
While taking over probes from state agencies, CBI re-registers its own regular case (RC) — the agency’s equivalent of an FIR. This effectively means Baghel is likely to be named as accused in the CBI’s case as well.
The EOW had filed its charge sheet in July alleging that while the Mahadev service is still operational, the promoters of the Mahadev Book app have obtained protection from various police and administrative officials, as well as influential political figures to prevent legal action against their criminal activities related to online betting. CBI, a second official said, will analyse state police’s charge sheet as well.
The March 4 case naming Baghel was filed after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) sent two references to the state police — on January 8 and 30 this year — based on its findings that pointed at the involvement of top-level state government functionaries in allowing illegal activities of Mahadev in lieu of “protection money”.
ED had alleged in November last year that Chandrakar and Uppal paid bribes worth ₹508 crore to the former chief minister. The two accused are currently in detention in a UAE facility and extradition requests have already been sent through the ministry of external affairs (MEA).
“The promoters of Mahadev Book App paid huge amounts of protection money to various police officers, administrative officers and influential political persons to stop police from taking any action on their illegal activities. This money used to reach the police and administrative officers through hawala operators, and then further to other senior police officers and influential political persons. This way, several police and administrative officers misused their official position to benefit themselves in the form of protection money and create illegal assets,” the FIR stated.
HT reached out to Baghel’s political aide for a comment from the former chief minister, but received no response.
So far, ED has filed two charge sheets in the case, including one against Chandrakar and Uppal. The federal agency has alleged in its charge sheet that Chandrakar got married at Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, in February 2023 and about ₹200 crore in cash was spent for this event and private jets were hired to ferry his relatives from India to the UAE and celebrities were paid to perform at the wedding. The projected proceeds of crime in the case are about ₹6,000 crore, according to ED, which has so far frozen assets worth ₹572.41 crore in the case.