Jharkhand High Court Defers Hearing on Hemant Soren’s Two Petitions in Bargain Land Case to December 2

Ranchi: The Jharkhand High Court on Wednesday postponed hearings on two petitions filed by Chief Minister Hemant Soren in connection with the alleged 8.86-acre land scam in Ranchi’s Bargain area. The next hearing in both matters has been scheduled for December 2 after Soren’s counsel sought time to file a rejoinder to the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) responses.

Soren has filed two separate petitions challenging different aspects of the proceedings against him. In the first, he has challenged the PMLA Special Court’s decision rejecting his discharge petition. The second petition questions the lower court’s order taking cognisance of the case without prior prosecution sanction.

During Wednesday’s proceedings, Soren’s counsel requested additional time to submit a response to the ED’s replies. The court accepted the request and fixed December 2 for the next hearing in both matters. Senior advocate Amit Kumar Das and advocate Saurav Kumar appeared on behalf of the ED.

The case relates to alleged irregularities involving 8.86 acres of land in the Bargain area of Ranchi, which is being investigated by the ED. During the investigation, the agency conducted raids at several locations linked to JMM leader Antu Tirkey, architect Vinod Kumar Singh and others.

After completing its investigation, the ED filed a chargesheet before the PMLA Special Court. The special court has since framed charges against 17 accused in the case.

The High Court’s next hearing on December 2 is expected to take up further arguments on Soren’s two petitions and the legal challenges raised in them.