Chief Minister-elect Hemant Soren faced a legal setback on Tuesday as the MP-MLA Special Court in Ranchi rejected his request for exemption from personal appearance in a case related to alleged noncompliance of summonses issued by the Enforcement Directorate, or ED.
Soren had filed a petition on July 5, seeking relief from personal appearance during hearings in a complaint filed by the ED, which accused him of contempt for disregarding multiple summonses.
Special Judge Sarthak Sharma had reserved the decision on November 11 after hearing the arguments on both sides.
On Tuesday, the court rejected Soren's plea while directing his personal appearance. The next hearing is scheduled for December 4.
The ED claims that Soren failed to comply with ten summonses sent between August 2023 and January 2024 in connection with a land scam linked to Ranchi’s Bargain zone.
The agency alleged that Soren attended only two summonses, which constitutes a violation under Section 63 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and Section 174 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The case originated with a complaint filed by the ED in the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court on February 19. After cognisance was taken on March 4, the matter was transferred to the MP-MLA Special Court.
The ED is investigating on charges of money laundering through the alleged land scam. The first summons was issued on August 14, 2023, and further summonses were issued on August 19, September 1, September 17, September 26, December 11, and December 29 in the year 2023. Lastly, on January 13, January 22, and January 27 in the year 2024, Soren was questioned after the tenth summons on his arrest date on January 31.
This development further complicates the legal battle that awaits Jharkhand's Chief Minister-elect as the ED investigation continues.
Meanwhile, Hemant Soren, after having secured a decisive win in the Assembly elections, will take oath as Chief Minister on November 28.
The swearing-in ceremony is likely to witness the presence of key INDIA bloc leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, Lalu Prasad Yadav of RJD, Tejashwi Yadav of Bihar, Mamata Banerjee of West Bengal, AAP National Convener Arvind Kejriwal and so on.
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