The Jharkhand High Court on Wednesday reserved its ruling on a petition filed by Chief Minister Hemant Soren seeking to freeze proceedings against him before a Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in an ongoing land deal investigation.
Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad heard arguments from legal counsel representing both Soren and the Enforcement Directorate before reserving the decision regarding the requested stay of lower court proceedings.
Plea Against Lower Court Ruling
The Chief Minister approached the High Court on August 31 after the Special PMLA Court on June 8 dismissed his discharge application, which sought to have the criminal proceedings dropped prior to the formal framing of charges.
During earlier hearings, Soren’s legal team pressed the High Court for an immediate halt to the trial court process. The court declined to grant an interim stay on September 9, choosing instead to direct the Enforcement Directorate to submit its response in the matter.
Allegations and Status of Trial
The case, initiated by the Enforcement Directorate under federal anti-money laundering statutes, centres on the alleged unlawful procurement and transfer of 8.86 acres of land located in the Bargain area of Ranchi. Investigative authorities assert that the property was fraudulently transferred to Soren, an allegation the Chief Minister has denied.
While Soren’s bid to stop proceedings remains under judicial consideration, the Special PMLA Court has already proceeded to frame charges against 17 other individuals named in the case, including architect Vinod Kumar Singh and Antu Tirkey.
