Money laundering case: Jharkhand CM moves SC against ED’s summon

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren filed a petition in the Supreme Court on Friday, contesting the summons issued by the ED against him in connection with an ongoing alleged money laundering case.
The ED had issued a summons to Chief Minister Soren to participate in its inquiry regarding an alleged money laundering matter on August 24. However, he abstained from appearing before the ED on August 24.
Previously, the ED conducted searches at the residence of Vinod Verma, the political advisor to Chhattisgarh’s Chief Minister, as well as Manish Banchhor and Ashish Verma, both holding the position of OSD. Additionally, the agency conducted searches at the premises of a businessman based in Durg.
On August 14, Soren had been summoned by the ED in connection with an alleged land scam case. However, Soren declined to participate in the agency’s inquiry, citing his engagement in organizing the Independence Day celebrations within the state.
He contended that the central agencies were targeting him due to his non-alignment with the central government. The Chief Minister highlighted that he provided details of his assets, both movable and immovable, to the CBI during an inquiry initiated by the Lokpal in 2020 against his father, Shibu Soren. He further stated that the ED could obtain the details from the CBI.
After the ED summoned CM Soren, Congress leader Rakesh Sinha accused the federal agency of “hatching a conspiracy” to defame the developing image of the state.
Congress leader Sinha stated, “A planned conspiracy is being hatched by the Enforcement Directorate to defame the development of the state. Ever since the formation of the grand alliance in the state, Chief Minister Hemant Soren and some administrative officials of the state are constantly being harassed by the ED,” he added.