Next hearing set for Nov 2 as High Court pushes for prompt response

The bench of Justice Anil Kumar Chaudhary has scheduled the next hearing in the SC‑ST case for 2 November, giving the state government a final window to file its defense. The court’s order follows a series of deferment requests made by representatives of Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

In the earlier session, the court expressed displeasure at the repeated delays and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000, directing the amount to be surrendered to the Jharkhand State Legal Services Authority. The judge reiterated that the court’s schedule must be respected to prevent unnecessary backlog.

The underlying dispute concerns an FIR lodged by the Enforcement Directorate against its own officers for alleged misconduct during a land‑fraud probe. The ED’s petition seeks the FIR’s cancellation, citing procedural flaws. The upcoming November hearing will focus on whether the state’s response meets the procedural requirements set by the court.