The Jharkhand High Court on Friday dismissed a petition by Chief Minister Hemant Soren seeking to halt ongoing trial court proceedings against him in connection with a Ranchi land transaction case.
The order clears the path for the Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Ranchi to continue hearing the case, which stems from an investigation initiated by the Enforcement Directorate into the suspected unlawful acquisition and transfer of an 8.86-acre land parcel located in the city’s Bargain area. The High Court had reserved its ruling on the matter on Wednesday.
Challenge To Lower Court Discharge Rejection
Soren had approached the High Court on August 31 to appeal an adverse ruling delivered by the special court earlier in the summer. On June 8, the lower court turned down his discharge petition, a legal mechanism through which an accused individual requests the court to drop criminal charges prior to their formal framing.
During the subsequent High Court hearings, legal counsel representing Soren urged the bench to stay all trial court action pending the outcome of his appeal. The High Court had previously declined an interim stay request on September 9, at which point it instructed the Enforcement Directorate to submit its formal reply.
Charges Framed Against Multiple Co-Accused
Even as Soren pursued legal relief against his prosecution, proceedings concerning other individuals named in the investigation moved forward before the special court.
The Special PMLA court has already formally framed charges against 17 other individuals in the case, including co-accused Antu Tirkey and architect Vinod Kumar Singh.
