In a significant development that intensifies the ongoing face-off between state police and a central agency, the Jharkhand High Court on Friday stayed the police investigation against Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers and directed the Union home secretary to deploy paramilitary forces to secure the agency’s Ranchi office.
Justice Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi, while hearing a writ petition filed by the ED, observed that the court “cannot remain a mute spectator” in such matters and issued a series of directions aimed at safeguarding the central agency’s functioning.
The court stayed the FIR-based probe initiated by the Ranchi police against ED officers following a complaint by Santosh Kumar, a former state public health engineering department (PHED) employee. The FIR, registered at the Airport police station, accused ED personnel of assault and torture during interrogation in a ₹23-crore water supply scam.
“High courts are generally slow in granting interim protection at the initial stage of an FIR. However, in cases like the present one, this court cannot remain a mute spectator,” Justice Dwivedi remarked.
The bench also directed:
- The Union home secretary to be made a party to the case.
- Deployment of CRPF, BSF, or other paramilitary forces to protect the ED office and officers.
- The Ranchi Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rakesh Ranjan to ensure security, warning that any lapse will result in his personal liability.
- The inclusion of complainant Santosh Kumar as a party in the proceedings.
The matter has been listed for further hearing on February 9.
Appearing for the ED, advocates A.K. Das and Saurabh Kumar argued that Santosh Kumar was under investigation for financial irregularities in the PHED, involving ₹23 crore, and that ₹9 crore had already been recovered from him.
They informed the court that Kumar arrived at the ED office voluntarily on January 12 at 1:20 pm and was not summoned. Shortly after, Kumar filed a police complaint alleging he was “thrashed” by ED officials.
On January 15, acting on the FIR, Ranchi police raided the ED office and reportedly collected CCTV footage — prompting the ED to file the present writ petition. The central agency also sought a CBI probe into what it termed “direct interference” by state police in its functioning.
The incident has sparked a political storm, with opposition and ruling parties trading sharp accusations.
BJP’s Babulal Marandi, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, lauded the high court’s intervention as a “slap” on the Hemant Soren government. Posting on X, he alleged misuse of state machinery to intimidate central agencies and accused Soren’s aides, including minister Mithilesh Thakur, of orchestrating false cases to derail corruption probes.
“The person who got false and fabricated allegations levelled against the ED… your close aide Mithilesh Thakur and other scamsters, along with your entire family involved in this scam and conspiracy, will not be able to escape the grip of the law,” Marandi said.
JMM’s Supriyo Bhattacharya, in response, defended the police action and accused Marandi of attempting to provoke a constitutional crisis. He demanded a case be registered against the BJP leader for inciting a clash between central and state forces.
The Congress, a ruling coalition partner, played down the controversy, saying the police had only gone to investigate the alleged incident and the BJP was blowing it out of proportion.
This isn’t the first time the Soren government and the ED have clashed.
In January 2024, Chief Minister Hemant Soren filed an FIR against senior ED officials under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act following searches at his Delhi residence in a land scam probe. He alleged harassment and claimed the agency’s actions were intended to “malign him and his entire community”.
In that case too, the ED moved the Jharkhand High Court seeking a CBI probe into what it alleged was the Chief Minister’s attempt to misuse the SC/ST Act to target agency officers. That matter remains pending before the court.
With the high court now actively seized of the matter and having passed protective directions in favour of the ED, the focus shifts to the next hearing on February 9, where the state police, Santosh Kumar, and the Union home secretary are expected to respond. The case is likely to test the boundaries of state-centre power dynamics in the context of ongoing corruption probes in Jharkhand.
