The criminal writ application calls for the anti-corruption bureau to file an FIR against the CM and his relatives. The petition claims that Soren exploited his office to allocate a mine in his name and plots within an industrial area to his spouse and sister-in-law.
Ranchi, Jharkhand: On September 18, the Jharkhand High Court instructed the state government to respond to a petition requesting the initiation of an FIR against Chief Minister Hemant Soren and his family.
The petition seeks to hold Soren, his spouse Kalpana Soren, and his sister-in-law Sarla Murmu accountable for allegedly ‘misusing’ Soren’s position to secure a mine and land in an industrial zone.
The criminal writ application calls for the anti-corruption bureau to file an FIR against the CM and his relatives. The petition claims that Soren exploited his office to allocate a mine in his name and plots within an industrial area to his spouse and sister-in-law.
Specifically, it alleges that 11 acres of land in Chanho, on the outskirts of Ranchi, were allocated to Kalpana Soren and Sarla Murmu by the Jharkhand Industrial Area Development Authority, while the stone mine was allocated to Chief Minister Soren.
Previously, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren was granted bail by the Jharkhand High Court on June 28, in connection with a land scam case.
He had been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on January 31, accused of manipulating records with fictitious transactions and using forged documents to obtain land. Following his arrest, Soren resigned from his position as Chief Minister on the same day.
Hemant Soren had been in judicial custody at Birsa Munda Jail in Ranchi. Alongside Soren, those arrested in connection with the case included former revenue department sub-inspector Bhanu Pratap Prasad, Mohammed Saddam Hussain, and Afshar Ali. The case revolves around the illegal acquisition of an 8.86-acre plot in Ranchi.
Soren applied for bail on April 16, asserting that his arrest was politically motivated—a claim he maintained in previous attempts for interim bail, including during the Lok Sabha election campaigns. However, the Supreme Court denied interim bail for Soren during the election period.
Soren, who became Chief Minister for the fifth time in Jharkhand following the 2019 coalition victory of JMM, INC, and RJD, faced additional challenges when Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais was asked to disqualify him as a member of the assembly for allegedly violating electoral law by obtaining a mining lease.
The Enforcement Directorate is actively investigating five land scam cases based on FIRs filed by the Jharkhand and Kolkata police. Their investigations have led to significant seizures, including around Rs1 crore in cash and 100 live bullet rounds during raids in Ranchi.
Before court decision, the ED conducted 55 searches and nine surveys related to the land scam cases, uncovering evidence such as forged Land Revenue Department seals, records of criminal proceeds, bribery instances, and related photographs.
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