In a setback for Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, the Jharkhand High Court on Thursday declined to quash the cognisance taken by a special MP-MLA court in a complaint filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which accused the JMM leader of non-compliance with summonses in connection with an alleged land scam.
The Enforcement Directorate had filed a complaint case against Soren before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Ranchi, for allegedly failing to respond to multiple summonses issued in connection with its ongoing probe into a land scam. The complaint was later transferred to the special MP-MLA court, which took cognisance and issued summons to the Chief Minister.
According to the ED, its Assistant Director in Ranchi, Devraj Jha, submitted that ten summonses had been issued to the Chief Minister. However, Soren appeared before the agency only twice, ignoring the rest.
The agency maintained that the investigation into the land scam could not proceed without Soren’s cooperation and personal examination, which was deemed essential for uncovering the full extent of the alleged irregularities.
Following the complaint, Special Judge Sarthak Sharma, presiding over the MP-MLA court, took cognisance of the matter and directed Soren to appear in person. This prompted the Chief Minister to move the High Court seeking relief.
The Jharkhand High Court, after hearing the matter, refused to interfere at this stage. By declining to quash the cognisance taken by the lower court, the High Court has effectively allowed the proceedings before the special MP-MLA court to continue.
The High Court’s refusal to intervene marks a legal setback for Chief Minister Soren, who now remains under the scrutiny of the special court in the ED-initiated proceedings.
