Overview

• The attached assets comprise Congress Bhawan in Sukma, a Raipur home owned by ex-Excise Minister Kawasi Lakhma, and a Sukma residence belonging to his son Harish, together valued at ₹6.15 crore.
• The ED alleges Lakhma received ₹2 crore monthly from 2019 to 2022 through an excise syndicate that diverted over ₹2,161 crore from the state treasury.
• This is the first time the ED has used the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to provisionally seize a political party’s property.
• Kawasi Lakhma remains in judicial custody since his January arrest, following December raids across Raipur, Sukma, and Dhamtari.
• The Congress decries the move as a political vendetta; the BJP hails it as a necessary step to hold former officials accountable.