Jharkhand HC Rejects CM Hemant Soren’s Challenge to ED Summons

Jharkhand HC Rejects CM Hemant Soren's Challenge to ED Summons

VoM News Desk | October 14, 2023 | 10:12 AM IST | Breaking News, Courts & Law, Jharkhand | Follow on Google News

Jharkhand HC Rejects CM Hemant Soren’s Challenge to ED Summons

Jharkhand HC Rejects CM Hemant Soren’s Challenge to ED Summons

In a significant development, the Jharkhand High Court delivered a blow to Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Friday by dismissing his plea challenging the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) summoning him in a land scam case.

Multiple ED Summons Ignored by CM Soren

It’s worth noting that the ED had summoned CM Soren a total of five times, and each time he evaded the summons, citing various excuses.

During a hybrid-mode hearing, senior advocates P Chidambaram, Kapil Sibal, and advocate Piyush Chitresh represented CM Soren, while Additional Solicitor General SV Raju argued on behalf of the ED.

ED Argues CM’s Violation of Summons

During the High Court proceedings, the ED pointed out that CM Soren had repeatedly violated the summons by failing to appear. In light of this, the ED argued that there was no basis for the CM to challenge the summons, and thus, he should not be granted any relief.

On behalf of CM Soren, senior advocate Kapil Sibal argued that there were no registered cases against the CM, making the ED’s summoning inappropriate. The ED countered this by highlighting that the applicant had challenged Sections 50 and 60 of the PMLA Act, which had already been decided by the Supreme Court in the case of Vijay Madan Lal Chaudhary. This decision confirmed the agency’s authority to issue summonses and record statements.

Supreme Court Redirects Soren to Jharkhand High Court

The Jharkhand High Court clarified that it could not issue any orders in this case. Interestingly, CM Soren turned to the Jharkhand High Court after the Supreme Court refused to entertain his petition, directing him to approach the former rather than the apex court.

The ED is actively investigating two significant cases of money laundering in Jharkhand. The first case pertains to illegal mining in Sahibganj, where the CM was interrogated on November 17 last year. The second case revolves around an alleged land scam in the state capital, for which Soren has been summoned by the ED twice.

Thirteen individuals, including IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan, as well as businessmen Amit Agarwal and Bishnu Agarwal, have already been arrested in connection with the alleged land scam.

VoM News Desk

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