Former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren granted permission to vote in crucial floor test, highlighting ongoing legal and political tensions.
A special court has granted permission to the arrested former Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader, Hemant Soren, to participate in an upcoming special session of the Jharkhand State Legislative Assembly. This session, scheduled for February 5, is crucial as it includes a floor test for the current government led by Chief Minister Champai Soren. This decision, passed by Special Judge Dinesh Rai on February 3, comes after Hemant Soren’s legal team filed an application seeking permission for him to exercise his right to vote in the floor test.
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Hemant Soren, who resigned from his position as Chief Minister on January 31 following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), has been at the center of a political storm in Jharkhand. His arrest has sparked debates and discussions about the motivations behind the ED’s actions, with many suggesting that the move was politically motivated to destabilize the JMM-led government.
Champai Soren, also from JMM, was sworn in as the new Chief Minister in the wake of Hemant Soren’s resignation. The upcoming floor test is a critical moment for the new Chief Minister, as it will determine the stability and future of the current government.
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The State’s Advocate General, Rajeev Ranjan, voiced concerns over the ED’s objections to Hemant Soren’s participation in the floor test, suggesting that the agency’s actions were aimed at undermining the state government.
“The Enforcement Directorate had vehemently objected to our plea. But we told the court that the cat is out of the bag. We told the court that the ED’s hurry in arresting the former Chief Minister was not for investigating the case but to bring down the government and now it doesn’t want him to participate in the floor test,”
Ranjan stated.
The court’s decision highlights the idea that participating in the floor test is a basic right that shouldn’t be blocked by legal issues unrelated to the legislative process. The argument stated, “Voting in the floor test has nothing to do with the investigation and should not have been objected to by the ED,” stressing the need to keep legal matters separate from legislative duties.
As a sitting Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) in the current Jharkhand Vidhan Sabha, Hemant Soren’s right to appear in the Special Session of the State Assembly was a key point in the application. The court’s agreement with this point allows Soren to fulfill his legislative responsibilities despite the charges against him.
The court has also instructed the ED to ensure Hemant Soren’s presence during the voting process, with the stipulation that he refrains from speaking to the media about the case.
The backdrop to this legal and political drama is a case filed by the ED against Hemant Soren and others, including a high-ranking IAS officer, concerning allegations of a “huge racket of illegal change of ownership of land by the mafia” in Jharkhand. Despite the serious charges and the ongoing investigation, Hemant Soren has denied any wrongdoing, setting the stage for a contentious and closely watched floor test.
