The Jharkhand High Court has granted relief to Chief Minister Hemant Soren by staying the Ranchi MP-MLA Special Court's order directing his personal appearance in a case concerning alleged contempt for ignoring Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons.
Soren challenged the November 25 decision of the lower court, which had dismissed his plea for exemption from personal appearance.
A criminal miscellaneous petition was filed by his advocates Piyush Chitresh, Dipankar Roy, and Shrey Mishra, with Justice Anil Kumar Chaudhary hearing the matter.
The ED alleged that Soren ignored ten summonses issued between August 2023 and January 2024 related to a land scam in Ranchi's Bargain zone.
The agency noted that he appeared for only two summonses, allegedly violating Section 63 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and Section 174 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The case originated from an ED complaint filed in the Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court on February 19, which was transferred to the MP-MLA Special Court on March 4 after cognisance was taken.
The Special Judge, Sarthak Sharma, had dismissed Soren’s plea and ordered his appearance on December 4.
The High Court’s stay on the lower court’s order offers Soren significant relief amid these legal challenges.
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