Jharkhand High Court Offers Relief to Chief Minister Hemant Soren in ED Summons Matter

Ranchi, Dec 16 (NationPress) The Jharkhand High Court on Monday offered relief to Chief Minister Hemant Soren in a case associated with his purported failure to comply with Enforcement Directorate (ED) summonses.

During the proceedings, the court extended the exemption from Soren’s mandatory appearance in the MP-MLA Special Court of Ranchi until January 16, 2025.

Previously, the bench led by Justice Anil Kumar Chaudhary had issued a notice to the ED and instructed the agency to submit a response. Since the ED had yet to provide its reply, the court granted the agency additional time and scheduled the next hearing for January 16, 2025.

This case stems from a complaint lodged by the ED on February 19, 2024, in the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s (CJM) court, accusing Soren of breaching Sections 63 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and 174 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

As per the complaint, the ED issued ten summonses to Soren for interrogation concerning a land scam linked to the Bargain Zone of Ranchi. Soren complied with only two out of these summonses, which the ED claimed was a form of non-compliance under the law.

The CJM court acknowledged the complaint on March 4, 2024, and subsequently transferred the case to the MP-MLA Special Court.

On July 5, 2024, Soren filed a petition seeking exemption from personal appearances in hearings tied to the ED’s allegations of contempt of summons. This request was denied by Judge Sarthak Sharma of the MP-MLA Special Court.

On November 25, 2024, the MP-MLA Special Court again dismissed Soren’s request for exemption and instructed him to appear before the ED on December 4, 2024.

Following this, Soren approached the Jharkhand High Court, where his legal representatives, including advocates Piyush Chitresh, Dipankar Roy, and Shrey Mishra, argued in favor of providing relief.

The ED’s investigation focuses on alleged irregularities in land transactions within Ranchi’s Bargain Zone.

Numerous summonses were dispatched to Soren on August 19, September 1, September 17, September 26, December 11, and December 29 in 2023, followed by January 13, January 22, and January 27 in 2024. Soren was interrogated following the tenth summons on January 31, 2024.

Soren attended only two of these summonses. He was eventually questioned on January 31, 2024, and subsequently arrested and detained.

The High Court’s ruling grants interim relief to Soren, allowing him to remain exempt from personal court appearances until mid-January 2024.