Legal Blow to Hemant Soren as High Court Refuses to Quash ED Case

Ranchi: The Jharkhand High Court on Thursday declined to quash proceedings against Chief Minister Hemant Soren in a case related to alleged defiance of Enforcement Directorate summonses, allowing the trial before the MP-MLA special court to move forward.

Justice Anil Kumar Choudhary, while dismissing Soren’s petition, granted him exemption from personal appearance during the course of the trial. The case originates from a complaint filed by the ED alleging repeated non-compliance with summonses linked to an alleged land scam in Ranchi.

According to the ED, Soren failed to respond adequately to ten summonses issued between August 2023 and January 2024, appearing in person on only two occasions. The agency claims such conduct amounts to offences under provisions of the PMLA and the IPC.

The Chief Judicial Magistrate’s court took cognisance of the ED complaint in March 2024, following which the matter was transferred to the special MP-MLA court. Soren had argued that he had submitted written replies where personal appearance was not possible and accused the ED of issuing summonses with malicious intent, contentions that did not find favour with the High Court at this stage.

With inputs from IANS