SC to hear Hemant Soren’s plea against ED summons in money laundering case on Sept 15

New Delhi [India], September 14 (ANI): The Supreme Court will hear on September 15 Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s plea against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons against him in a money laundering case. The matter will be heard by Justice Aniruddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi.

Hemant Soren has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the summons issued against him and said that the case against him is a clear case of abuse of law by the Central Government and misuse of the Central agencies and to destabilize the democratically elected Government of the State of Jharkhand of which he is the Chief Minister.

ED had asked Jharkhand Chief Minster Soren to join its investigation in the alleged money laundering case on August 24. However, he did not appear before the ED on that day.

The ED had earlier carried out searches at the residences of the Chhattisgarh CM’s political advisor Vinod Verma and OSD’s Manish Banchhor and Ashish Verma in connection with the alleged liquor scam.

Searches were also conducted by the agency at the premises of a businessman in Durg. Earlier on August 14, Soren was summoned by the ED in connection with an alleged land scam case. However, Soren did not join the central agency probe citing he was busy with the preparation of the Independence Day celebration in the state.

In the plea, Soren has urged the top court to declare Section 50 and Section 63 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 as ultra vires to the Constitution of India and to issue appropriate direction to declare the summons against him as illegal and null and void. He also sought to quash summons against him and all steps taken and proceedings emanating therefrom.

“As sentinel on the que vive, this Court has the Constitutional mandate to quash any act of the Union Government which is vitiated by malice and designed to interfere with the franchise exercised by the people of Jharkhand. With the General Election approaching in the next seven months, the political atmosphere in the country has been vitiated by the ruling regime and all efforts have been made to threaten, humiliate and intimidate the political leaders, and particularly, when the opposition has united to form INDIA alliance in which Petitioner and his party are a vocal participant and integral part of alliance and who are not aligned with the NDA,” the petition read.

He submitted that the issuance of summons is actuated by malice in fact as the false allegation has been hoisted against the Petitioner with the sole motive of creating political uncertainty and unrest in the State.

The Respondent ED earlier also sought to link the Petitioner with the alleged illegal mining of stone chips in Jharkhand and accordingly summons were issued, he further added.

He also told the court that he has duly provided details of all movable and immovable properties owned by him and his family along with certified copies of the title deed thereof.

Earlier the Chief Minister had confronted the federal agency asking it to withdraw the summon against him or else he would take legal action. In his letter written earlier, Soren said that he had provided all necessary documents and information.

In the letter, he said that if the the ED needs any information, it can refer to the documents, he mentioned in his letter. He has also alleged that the ED summoned him on August 14, on the instructions of its political masters.

“Your choice of the date of 14th August does not come as a surprise to the undersigned (Hemant Soren). You and your political masters are fully aware that being the Chief Minister of the state of Jharkhand, the undersigned is scheduled to hoist the national flag on the occasion of the 77th independence day of the Republic of India on 15th August 2023,” Chief Minister Hemant Soren wrote in his letter.