Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren Running From ED, Will Have To Face Investigation For Corruption: BJP

A bench of Justice Aniruddha Bose and Justice Bela M Trivedi gave Soren the right to seek redress from the Jharkhand High Court.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren would not receive any reprieve from any court for the "kind of corruption" he has done in his state, and he will finally face an Enforcement Directorate inquiry, the BJP claimed on Monday, news agency PTI reported. This followed the Supreme Court's refusal to hear Soren's appeal against the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) summons in an alleged money laundering case. A bench of Justice Aniruddha Bose and Justice Bela M Trivedi gave Soren the right to seek redress from the Jharkhand High Court.

Speaking with media at the party headquarters, BJP spokesperson Syed Zafar Islam stated: "Hemant Soren is running from an ED probe…He didn't get any relief from the Supreme Court. I am confident that the kind of corruption he has committed, he won't get any relief from any court. He will have to face the probe. His deeds will come out before people."

After SC refused to entertain Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren's plea challenging ED summons in an alleged money laundering case, BJP leader Pratul Shah Deo stated: "Despite having top lawyers, Supreme Court advised Jharkhand CM to go to High Court and was not given relief. We will urge the CM to face ED summon and admit his mistakes so that the quantum of punishment gets reduced."

VIDEO | "Despite having top lawyers, Supreme Court advised Jharkhand CM to go to High Court and was not given relief. We will urge the CM to face ED summon and admit his mistakes so that the quantum of punishment gets reduced," says BJP leader @pratulshahdeo after SC refused to… pic.twitter.com/pC9m0SEvPZ

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 18, 2023

Soren had petitioned the Supreme Court, disputing the summons issued to him to appear in person at the federal agency's Ranchi office on August 14 and record his testimony under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

On November 17, last year, the ED grilled the 48-year-old Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader for more than nine hours in connection with another money-laundering case relating to alleged illicit mining in the state.

The central investigation agency is looking into more than a dozen property deals, including one involving defence land, in which a gang of mafia, brokers, and bureaucrats reportedly conspired to fake deeds and papers dating back to 1932.

So far in the state, the ED has detained numerous persons, including Soren's political associate Pankaj Mishra.

The ED first called Soren on November 3, 2022, but he did not show, claiming official obligations. He also challenged the central investigation agency to arrest him and then requested a three-week delay in the summons.

The BJP spokesman said that the Jharkhand chief minister cheated the state out of Rs 10,000-20,000 crore by abusing his authority and position. He denied that the BJP-led Centre sent the federal investigation agency against Soren in order to destabilise the opposition parties' INDIA coalition.

"The ED is doing its work following the lead (of the alleged scams involving Soren)," Islam said. He further accused Soren of being involved in a number of frauds, including the distribution of coal blocks, illicit mining, and the exploitation of rural development funds.

According to the BJP spokesperson, Soren "illegally procured" land in Jharkhand under false identities.

"Hemant Soren, who is a member of the INDI Alliance is looting Jharkhand in connivance with the leader of the 'ghamandia gathbandhan' (INDIA bloc of opposition parties) which promotes corruption, parivarvad and appeasement politics. Each of the INDI Alliance constituents get their share in Soren's," he alleged.