The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has approached the Jharkhand High Court requesting a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into allegations made by former Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Hemant Soren. Soren had accused ED officials of violating provisions of the SC/ST Act, following a raid conducted by the ED at his New Delhi residence in January, which he claimed was intended to harass and defame him and his community.
The ED has filed a criminal writ petition demanding a CBI probe into the matter, asserting that Soren attempted to obstruct justice in an illegal land case initiated against him and deliberately sought to initiate criminal proceedings against ED officials.
It’s noteworthy that on January 31, the ED arrested Soren from the Chief Minister’s residence in connection with a land scam case after approximately 16 hours of interrogation. Prior to his arrest, Soren had submitted his resignation to the governor. Despite being summoned by the ED for questioning on ten occasions, Soren responded to only two summons, leading to a court case against him for contempt of ED summons.
The agency, in its petition, also mentioned that Soren had filed an FIR against ED officials shortly before his arrest. The ED had conducted a search of Soren’s Delhi residence in January, during which they seized an SUV, ₹36 lakhs in cash, and several important documents. Despite the ED team waiting for approximately 13 hours for further questioning, Soren did not appear.
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The lawyer for the ED, Amit Kumar Das, stated that the investigation into the SC/ST case against ED officials is currently being conducted by the state police. The appeal to the Jharkhand High Court for a CBI investigation highlights the complexity of the case and the need for a thorough and impartial inquiry into the allegations made by Hemant Soren.
