The Jharkhand High Court on Wednesday granted significant relief to Chief Minister Hemant Soren by allowing him to be represented through counsel and exempting him from appearing personally before the MP-MLA Court in connection with a complaint filed by the Enforcement Directorate linked to an alleged land scam.
The order was passed by Justice Anil Kumar Choudhary, who disposed of Soren’s petition challenging the lower court’s directive that required his physical presence.
The Enforcement Directorate filed a complaint before the special MP-MLA Court in 2024, alleging that Soren did not comply with repeated summonses issued in connection with the agency’s probe into an alleged land scam. According to the complaint filed by ED Assistant Director Devraj Jha, a total of 10 summonses were issued. Soren appeared in response to only two of them and ignored the rest.
The matter reached the special judge of the MP-MLA Court, which subsequently directed Soren to appear in person in Ranchi during proceedings related to the complaint.
Soren challenged the order through a criminal miscellaneous petition before the Jharkhand High Court. In December 2024, the High Court issued notices to the ED and imposed a stay on the operation of the lower court’s direction, effectively keeping his appearance in abeyance.
However, after the state sought an adjournment in November this year, the High Court vacated the stay on Soren’s personal appearance requirement.
Wednesday’s order settles the matter with the court clarifying that Soren is no longer mandated to be physically present and may be represented by his advocate in the MP-MLA Court.
The ruling spares the Chief Minister from making repeated court appearances as the ED’s complaint proceeds. The case stems from the federal agency’s claim that Soren evaded summonses issued to him in the course of its investigation into the alleged acquisition and transfer of land using forged documents.
The exemption applies only for the purpose of personal attendance; the matter before the MP-MLA Court will continue through legal representation.
