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Jharkhand Chief Minister, Hemant Soren, has responded to the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) summons, proposing that his statement be recorded at his secretariat on January 20 in connection with an alleged land scam. The ED had earlier given a ‘last opportunity’ to Soren, urging him to appear for questioning between January 16 and January 20.
In a letter to the ED, Soren labeled the summons as ‘illegal’ and suggested that the recording of his statement be conducted at his office on January 20. This follows the Chief Minister’s non-compliance with seven earlier summonses related to the case.
The ED’s investigation revolves around an alleged “huge racket of illegal change of ownership of land by the mafia” in Jharkhand. The agency has already arrested 14 individuals, including a 2011-batch IAS officer, Chhavi Ranjan, associated with the case. Despite the repeated summons, Soren had filed petitions in both the Supreme Court and the Jharkhand High Court, seeking protection from ED actions.
The ED had recently issued a ‘last opportunity’ to Soren, allowing him to record his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The agency specified that the recording could take place at a mutually convenient location, date, and time within seven days of the summons.
Soren’s response, submitted by a representative from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), conveyed his availability for the statement recording on January 20. This comes after Soren dismissed previous summons, citing commitments and engagements. The agency, in its earlier summons, had directed the Chief Minister to appear on multiple occasions, with Soren asserting prior commitments each time.
The ongoing legal saga underscores the tension between the Chief Minister and the ED as the investigation into the alleged land scam continues.
