Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren may face the issuance of a non-bailable warrant by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) if he fails to appear before the agency on September 23. The case is related to alleged land mining and illegal possession of land parcels in Ranchi. This marks the fifth summons issued to Soren by the ED, with the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader having skipped the previous three summons.
Under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), if an accused or someone under investigation fails to appear after three consecutive summons, the ED may issue a non-bailable warrant. Last month, Soren sought relief from the Supreme Court, but the division bench of the apex court refused to entertain his plea and directed him to appeal before the High Court. Subsequently, Soren withdrew his petition and is expected to move the High Court as per the Supreme Court’s directions.
Over the past six months, Soren has been summoned four times by the ED in connection with alleged land and stone mining scams. While Soren complied with one summons, he skipped the others and filed a writ petition before the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the investigation. In his petition, Soren claimed to be targeted for his vocal participation and alliance with the Opposition, as well as not aligning with the NDA. He sought the quashing of the ED summons.
Commenting on the delay in initiating the process for a non-bailable warrant, a senior ED officer explained that they waited for the Supreme Court’s direction, but the division bench refused to grant a stay, instructing Soren to approach the High Court instead. If Soren chooses not to appear before the ED on September 23, the process for issuing a non-bailable warrant may be initiated.
Hemant Soren is facing money laundering charges in connection with two cases being investigated by the ED under the PMLA. Responding to the charges, Jharkhand government’s advocate general Rajiv Ranjan stated that the allegations filed by the ED are baseless and devoid of merit, adding that the Chief Minister has submitted all relevant documents to the agency. Ranjan also expressed concern over the repeated summoning of Soren, stating that it goes against the federal structure.
One of the cases against Soren involves stone mining, which the ED has allegedly traced back to him and his connections. Another case involves political associations and an alleged land deed fraud. These details were first reported by News18 last month.
Following the Supreme Court’s rejection of Soren’s plea, the BJP stated that the JMM leader would not be able to evade the ED and other central agencies for long. The BJP accused Soren of serious corruption charges and emphasized the need for him to face the probe.
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