NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted bail to former excise minister and sitting Congress MLA Kawasi Lakhma more than a year after he was arrested by Enforcement Directorate in a Chhattisgarh liquor scam related money laundering case.A bench, headed by CJI Surya Kant, released Lakhma on bail saying given the fact that prosecution has cited many witnesses, there is little chance of early conclusion of the trial and that Lakhma has been incarcerated since Jan last year.However, the bench asked Lakhma to stay outside Chhattisgarh and attend the trial proceedings by reaching the trial court a day prior. When his counsel Sidharth Dave said Lakhma is required to attend assembly, the bench said in that case it can direct his suspension from the House.Earlier when Lakhma’s counsel Mukul Rohatgi said there is no evidence against him, and that he has been roped in due to political vendetta. Countering this senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani and additional solicitor general S V Raju said the ex-minister had used the state liquor shops for sale of illegally manufactured foreign liquor to enrich himself and Congress.
