Jharkhand HC Lifts Interim Relief, Clears Trial Against Hemant Soren in ED Summons Case

Ranchi- In a significant setback for Chief Minister Hemant Soren, the Jharkhand High Court on Tuesday withdrew the interim protection earlier granted to him and allowed the trial to continue in the case concerning alleged non-compliance with Enforcement Directorate (ED) summonses.

The bench headed by Justice Anil Kumar Choudhary nullified the interim relief granted on December 4, 2024, and instructed the Special MP-MLA Court to resume the pending trial.

The ED had lodged a complaint before the Chief Judicial Magistrate on February 19, 2024, accusing Soren of deliberately avoiding ten summonses related to a money-laundering investigation linked to a land scam in Ranchi’s Bargain locality.

According to the agency, Soren appeared only twice despite receiving summonses on multiple dates in 2023 and 2024, an act that allegedly violated Section 63 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The CJM court took cognisance of the complaint on March 4, 2024, and later transferred the matter to the Special MP-MLA Court. Soren had moved the High Court seeking to quash the proceedings.

In his petition, he argued that he had submitted written replies for all the summonses he could not attend and later complied with a fresh notice, alleging that the repeated summonses were issued with “malicious intent”.

The High Court had earlier exempted Soren from personal appearance. However, during Tuesday’s hearing, when his counsel sought additional time and an extension of interim relief, the court declined and ordered proceedings to continue.

The next hearing is set for November 28, when Soren is expected to appear unless he obtains fresh relief.

WIth inputs from IANS