Official sources claim that on Tuesday, December 12, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) issued a new summons to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren for questioning in a money-laundering case involving an alleged land fraud.
According to official sources on Monday, Soren, 48, has been called to appear at the regional Enforcement Directorate office in the Hinoo district of Ranchi to record his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The sources stated that the chief minister is being summoned on December 12.
He has not shown up for questioning despite the Enforcement Directorate’s six notices. He challenged the summons as “unwarranted” and filed petitions in the Supreme Court and the Jharkhand High Court requesting immunity from ED action. Nevertheless, his plea had been denied by both courts.
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Soren said in the high court that the summons was sent to him “maliciously” and that the bogus accusations were fabricated only to stir up political turmoil in the state.
He received a summons for August 14. The investigation relates to the ED’s claim that there was a “massive mafia-led illegal land ownership change racket operating in Jharkhand.”
In relation to the case, the Enforcement Directorate has detained fourteen individuals, among them is Chhavi Ranjan, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the 2011 batch who was previously the deputy commissioner of Ranchi and the director of the state’s social welfare department.
In November of last year, Soren was questioned by the ED over an additional money-laundering case that involved alleged unlawful mining in the state.
