Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], September 19 (ANI): The Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Court in Ranchi on Saturday directed Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren to mandatorily appear before it by Monday at 4:00 PM, after he failed to appear for the scheduled framing of formal charges in connection with an alleged land scam case.
Formal charges were slated to be framed against the Chief Minister on Saturday in the alleged money laundering case probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). However, Soren skipped the physical court appearance due to a busy schedule, prompting his legal counsel to plead for a next date.
Hearing the submissions, the Special PMLA Court granted him time but issued a directive making his appearance mandatory by Monday, September 21, at 4:00 PM. The court directed that the Chief Minister may appear before it either physically or virtually via video conference to facilitate the proceedings on the framing of charges.
The deferment comes a day after the Jharkhand High Court dismissed Soren’s interlocutory application seeking an interim stay on the trial court proceedings.
In his latest interlocutory application (IA), Soren had prayed for an interim freeze on all proceedings before the special court, arguing that the trial could not move forward because the required prior government sanction to prosecute him as a public servant had not been granted by the Governor.
However, the single-judge bench of Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad rejected Soren’s arguments, observing that the legal protection of government sanction is meant to protect public servants performing genuine official work from harassment, and cannot be used as a blanket shield against criminal allegations.
The High Court observed that the accusations against Soren—which involve the alleged illegal acquisition and possession of 8.86 acres of tribal land in Bargain and the manipulation of government revenue records—prima facie have no connection with the lawful discharge of official duties as Chief Minister.
The bench further pointed out that whether an act is linked to official duty is a matter to be examined through evidence during the trial itself. The court added that the absence of sanction at this preliminary stage cannot be a reason to halt the proceedings, noting that any unnecessary delay at the start of a criminal case could harm the preservation of evidence.
Clarifying that its observations were preliminary and solely for deciding the stay petition, the High Court directed the Special PMLA Court to proceed with the case strictly in accordance with law, without being influenced by the order. The High Court has posted Soren’s main petition challenging the rejection of his discharge for its next hearing on October 14. (ANI)