ED issues summons to Jharkhand CM Soren, asks to appear on October 4

The Enforcement Directorate called Chief Minister Hemant Soren to the office on October 4. Earlier, the ED had issued summons to the CM four times on August 14, August 24, September 9 and September 23, however, the CM did not appear at the office for questioning.

Ranchi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday issued summons for the fifth time to the Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in the Ranchi land scam, official sources said on Tuesday. The agency summoned the Chief Minister to the office on October 4. Earlier, the ED had issued summons to the CM four times on August 14, August 24, September 9 and September 23, however, the CM did not appear at the office for questioning.

Earlier on September 15, the Supreme Court adjourned Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s plea against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons to him in a money laundering case to September 18. Soren's advocate urged a bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi to adjourn the matter for Monday.

Hemant Soren has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the summons issued to him and said that the case was a clear “abuse of law” by the Central government and a “misuse of the central agencies” to destabilise the democratically elected government led by him. On August 14, when Soren was summoned by the ED in connection with the alleged land scam case, he did not appear in the agency's office citing that he was busy with the preparation of the Independence Day celebrations in the state.

In his plea, Soren 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.