Hemant Soren gets 6th ED summons in land scam case
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has reportedly issued yet another summons to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren for questioning in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. In its sixth summons in the matter, the ED asked Soren to depose at its office in Ranchi on Tuesday and record his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), per PTI.
Why does this story matter?
This is the sixth notice issued to Soren by the probe agency, but he has not deposed so far. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the fifth summons, seeking protection from ED action. However, it directed him to approach the Jharkhand High Court, which dismissed his petition. The ED investigation reportedly pertains to a "huge racket of illegal change of ownership of land by mafia was going on in Jharkhand."
ED's ongoing probe into alleged money laundering case
The central agency has been investigating over a dozen land deals wherein a ring of bureaucrats, mafias, and middlemen allegedly forged documents from 1932 to grab land. Furthermore, the ED has apprehended 14 individuals in the case. Earlier this year, a special court sent Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Chhavi Ranjan to jail. The ED arrested him on May 6 for his alleged involvement in money laundering in the reported illicit land deals.
ED raids in Bihar, Bengal, Jharkhand in alleged scam case
Previously, the ED had conducted numerous raids at different locations in Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Bihar in connection to the alleged land scam. Sources had earlier claimed that the now-jailed IAS officer Ranjan, while serving as the deputy commissioner of Ranchi, purportedly used the Kolkata Registry Office to forge papers in the alleged land scam case.
Details on ED's fifth summons to Jharkhand CM
Earlier, the ED issued its fifth summons to Soren in September and asked him to appear for questioning on October 4. However, the chief minister chose to skip it and instead moved the SC and then the Jharkhand HC, which did not provide him relief. On the other hand, the 48-year-old was also questioned by the ED in November 2022 in another money laundering case linked to alleged illegal mining in Jharkhand.
