Today On 5th March: Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has been summoned by a court in Ranchi regarding a land grab case linked to alleged money laundering. The court’s decision follows Soren’s failure to comply with seven summonses issued by the Enforcement Directorate. Soren, who resigned before his arrest on money laundering charges, is now under judicial custody.
Ranchi, Jharkhand: Today, On March 5th, a court in Ranchi issued a summons to former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren for his alleged non-compliance of summons from the Enforcement Directorate regarding a money laundering investigation linked to a purported land grab case. The court’s decision comes after Soren failed to respond to seven summonses, with the first being issued on August 14 last year.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) complained to the senior Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader, stating his failure to cooperate with the investigation. They argue that Soren should face prosecution under Section 174 of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with non-attendance in obedience to orders from public servants.
Soren was apprehended by the ED on January 31 under charges of money laundering following questioning at his official residence in Ranchi. He stepped down as chief minister prior to his arrest and is currently in judicial custody.
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Chief Judicial Magistrate Krishna Kant Mishra, in an order issued on Monday, stated,
“From the contents of the complainant (ED) and the material placed on record, a prima facie offence under Section 174 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, is made out, and there are sufficient grounds for proceedings under Section 204 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, against accused Hemant Soren.”
The court directed Soren to appear before it on April 3, in accordance with Section 204 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which empowers magistrates to issue summons or warrants for the attendance of accused individuals.
The ED has also lodged a similar complaint against Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly ignoring the agency’s summons on three occasions.
In the complaint against Soren, the ED alleges that he “intentionally omitted to obey the summons and to attend at the place and time mentioned in the summons,” resulting in the non-compliance of the summonses issued under Section 50(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
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The investigation into money laundering against Soren is connected to an alleged fraudulent acquisition of 8.5 acres of land in Ranchi, along with “several other properties linked to him.”
