Jharkhand News : The Supreme Court has granted significant relief to Hemant Soren, Chief Minister of Jharkhand, by staying the ongoing proceedings in the ED (Enforcement Directorate) money laundering case against him.
The bench, comprising Chief Justice Suryakant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, issued a notice to the ED on Soren’s petition. The court remarked that the ED has several high-profile cases, advising them to focus their energy on bigger matters.
Earlier, the Jharkhand High Court had upheld the summons issued by the Special MP/MLA Court. The Supreme Court passed this interim order on Soren’s special leave petition. The Chief Minister has also been arrested in connection with the case.
The ED lawyer claimed that Hemanth Soren was summoned seven times but failed to appear. In response, Soren’s lawyer, Mukul Rohatgi, stated that Soren appeared three times but was still arrested.
The ED had also filed a case against an associate of Soren, from whom documents related to the CM’s 8.86-acre land were recovered. Following this, the investigation was initiated under PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act). The Chief Judicial Magistrate of Ranchi had issued the summons under IPC Section 174.
Soren approached the High Court seeking to quash the proceedings, but the High Court refused. The Supreme Court’s order now stays the ongoing proceedings for the time being.
