Mahadev gambling app case: CBI names Bhupesh Baghel as accused

RAIPUR: In a major turn of events, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has officially named former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel as an accused in the Mahadev gambling app case. This comes after an initial raid by the agency at Baghel’s private and official bungalows six days ago.

The row over this case had been building up for some time, with the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Chhattisgarh Police first filing a case against Baghel in March last year.

The Congress severely condemned the BJP-led Central government for the “tardiness” of the probe. To expedite the process, the case was shifted to the CBI in August, which in turn registered an FIR. But the contents of the FIR were not disclosed until today.

In addition to Baghel, 18 others have been identified in the FIR, including some unidentified persons. The Mahadev app scandal, which originally emerged during the Baghel-led Congress government in Chattisgarh, has now turned into a huge political controversy, with Congress and the BJP accusing one another of protecting the main players behind the operation.

The CBI had arrested prime suspect Saurabh Chandrakar in October last year.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had also submitted a supplementary prosecution complaint in January of last year, naming various people, including Subham Soni, who was one of the main promoters of the Mahadev Online Book, and a driver named Asim Das.

The ED, in its complaint filed against them, accused Das of saying that Soni had asked him to give a huge amount of money (Rs 5.39 crore) to Baghel in a bid to keep people linked to the Mahadev app out of arrest.