The Supreme Court provided interim relief to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren regarding alleged non-compliance with Enforcement Directorate (ED) summonses. The court, led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, halted proceedings in the MP-MLA Special Court in Ranchi and summoned the ED to respond. The ED’s complaint, filed on February 19, 2024, accused Soren of failing to adhere to ten summonses related to a money laundering investigation linked to a land scam in Ranchi.
The ED alleged that despite ten summonses issued between August 2023 and January 2024, Soren only appeared twice, leading to accusations under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and the Indian Penal Code. After the CJM court acknowledged the complaint on March 4, 2024, the case was transferred to the MP-MLA Special Court. Soren’s appeal to the Jharkhand High Court to stop the proceedings was rejected, prompting him to approach the Supreme Court.
During the hearing, Soren’s counsel argued that he had responded in writing to the summonses he couldn’t attend and had appeared before the ED on subsequent occasions. The Supreme Court will proceed with the case once the ED submits its response.
