News Analysis India

Tag: Jharkhand

  • As Hemant Soren Remains ‘Untraceable’, Section 144 Imposed Around His Residence, Raj Bhavan |

    RANCHI: With the Enforcement Directorate (ED) tightening its noose around Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, the state administration has imposed Section 144 under CrPc within 100 meters radius of his residence, Raj Bhavan and ED office in Ranchi on Tuesday. According to news agency ANI, the order will remain in force till 10 pm. During this period, any kind of protest or demonstration has been banned. “According to the information received, there is information about protests, demonstrations, rallies etc., by various organizations/parties. The possibility of such programs causing disruption in government work, disrupting traffic, creating law and order problems and disturbing public peace cannot be ruled out,” the order said.

     

    Section 144 CrPc imposed within 100 meters radius of Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s residence, Raj Bhavan and ED office in Ranchi pic.twitter.com/0A67WQykf5
    — ANI (@ANI) January 30, 2024

     

    This comes as the ED officials visited Soren’s Delhi home to question him in connection with a money laundering investigation.

    Will Record Statement Tomorrow: Soren

    Meanwhile, the Jharkhand Chief Minister, in a letter to the Enforcement Directorate, said he will record his statement before the agency officials at 1 pm on Wednesday at his residence. While accepting to record his statement, the Jharkhand chief minister alleged that questioning him at this time was more political and was meant to disrupt the functioning of his government.

    “You are well aware that the Budget Session of the Legislative Assembly will be held between 2nd and 29th February 2024 and the undersigned will be pre-occupied with preparations for the same apart from other prior scheduled official engagements,” the letter written by Soren to ED’s Ranchi office said.

    “In these circumstances, your insistence to record a further statement of the undersigned on or before 31 January 2024 reeks of malice and reveals your political agenda to disrupt the functioning of the State Government and prevent an elected representative of the people from discharging his official duties,” Soren’s letter to the ED said.

    ED Seizes Soren’s BMW Car

    On Monday, Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials seized a luxury car belonging to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren from his Delhi residence late on Monday, in connection with the ongoing probe into a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. Sources revealed that the BMW confiscated by the ED on Monday is believed to be acquired from the “proceeds of crime,” a significant development in the ongoing probe. Soren reportedly utilized this vehicle during his stays in the national capital, adding to the gravity of the seizure.

    Besides, the Enforcement Directorate team also recovered Rs 36 lakhs in cash from Soren’s Delhi residence, said sources.

     

    Section 144 CrPc imposed within 100 meters radius of Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s residence, Raj Bhavan and ED office in Ranchi pic.twitter.com/0A67WQykf5
    — ANI (@ANI) January 30, 2024

     

    Despite repeated summons, Soren has eluded interrogation, raising suspicions about his involvement in the case. He has notably ignored seven summons issued by the ED, with indications that he may contest them legally.

    Cat-And-Mouse Chase

    ED officials, determined to locate Soren, have scoured both Jharkhand Bhawan and his father’s residence, but to no avail. His chartered plane remained grounded at the Delhi Airport, further complicating the search. In a bid to counter the ED’s actions, Soren appears poised to challenge the ED summons in the Supreme Court, underscoring the escalating legal battle between the two parties.

    The Enforcement Directorate officials visited the residence of Soren in the national capital on Monday night for questioning him in connection with the alleged land scam case and said that the Jharkhand Chief Minister could not be located.

    What Are The Allegations Against Soren?

    The money laundering case, amounting to a staggering Rs 600 crore, alleges a widespread conspiracy involving the illicit transfer and sale of government land to developers. Notably, the ED has apprehended 14 individuals thus far, including high-ranking officials like IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan.

    Conspiracy By BJP: Soren

    However, Soren has vehemently denied the accusations, attributing them to a concerted effort to malign his reputation. He has rallied support from his party members, vowing to confront the purported conspirators head-on.

    Political Turmoil In Jharkhand

    The Jharkhand BJP has seized upon the situation, accusing Soren of evading authorities and undermining the state’s integrity. The BJP has now alleged that Soren has “gone missing.” “Today, the honour and respect of the people of Jharkhand were destroyed by our Chief Minister Hemant Soren ji, just by going missing,” BJP parliamentarian from Jharkhand, Nishikant Dubey, wrote on his X timeline. Reports about Soren’s alleged escape from his Delhi residence shrouded in secrecy and speculation, have further fuelled the controversy surrounding his involvement in the case. 

  • ED continues to quiz Soren in money laundering case, Section 144 clamped near CM’s residence

    Enforcement Directorate sleuths continued to question Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren at his official residence here on Saturday in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. The entire area has turned into a virtual fortress with heavy deployment of security forces, an official said.

    Soren, 48, who is also the executive president of the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), had earlier skipped seven summonses by the ED. He finally gave his consent after the probe agency summoned him for the eighth time.

    The ED personnel reached Soren’s residence around 1 pm, the official said, adding, the questioning has been underway for more than six hours now. Security personnel, deployed in large numbers at the spot, are using high-resolution body cameras to keep track of activities around the house, he said.

    The measure comes in the wake of the recent attack on ED officials in West Bengal during a raid pertaining to an alleged multi-crore ration distribution scam.

    The Ranchi district administration has also imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC near Soren’s house, disallowing any demonstration, carrying weapons and public meetings. “The restrictions will be in place till 11 pm on Saturday,” Ranchi SDO Utkarsh Kumar told PTI. Security has also been bolstered outside the residences of key BJP leaders in the state and the party headquarters as a precautionary measure.

    Meanwhile, the JMM convened a meeting of its legislators at the chief minister’s residence.

    “The ED is questioning the CM… We are also holding our meeting… Any strategy about the future course of action will be made based on the outcome of the questioning,” JMM general secretary and spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya told PTI.

    Jamtara MLA Irfan Ansari, who met Soren before being quizzed by the ED officials, said the chief minister asked party workers to be patient.

    “The CM, after seeing me, turned emotional and asked us to have patience,” Ansari said.

    Opposing the ED action, JMM workers and tribal outfits staged protests across the state. Asked about the demonstrations, Bhattacharya said those were spontaneous, and his party had not taken any call on that.

    JMM workers armed with bows and arrows were also spotted at some distance from Soren’s house.

    Congress’ Jharkhand president Rajesh Thakur said that party MLAs were present to express solidarity with the CM.

    Those present inside Soren’s residence include Social Welfare Minister Joba Manjhi, Congress legislator Deepika Pandey Singh and Rajya Sabha MP Mahua Maji, besides several JMM legislators.

    Jharkhand Advocate General Rajiv Ranjan, DGP Ajay Kumar Singh, Deputy Commissioner, Ranchi, Rahul Kumar Sinha and SSP Chandan Kumar Sinha are also at the spot, officials said.

    The investigation pertains to a “huge racket of illegal change of ownership of land by the mafia” in Jharkhand, according to the central probe agency.

    It has so far arrested 14 people in the case, including 2011-batch IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan, who served as the director of the state’s Social Welfare Department and deputy commissioner of Ranchi.

    JMM MLA Ramdas Soren claimed that this was an attempt to destabilise the Jharkhand government.

    The BJP, however, alleged that the chief minister was playing the “victim card” by sponsoring protests across the state.

    “The CM should not have been given the privilege of interrogation at his official residence. Soren is scared of being arrested and that is why he did not visit the ED office for questioning,” senior BJP leader Amar Bauri told PTI.

    Jharkhand BJP president Babulal Marandi said the ED agreed to Soren’s request for questioning at the chief minister’s house out of respect for him.

    “Now, we hope that the CM will also show generosity and issue an order to the Jharkhand Police today itself that instead of calling any accused to the police station and interrogating him, officers should go to the house of the accused and question,” Marandi wrote on X.

    He also claimed that tribals in the state are not with Soren anymore, and they want his exit.

    Soren had filed a petition before the Supreme Court and the Jharkhand High Court, seeking protection from the ED action, terming the summonses “unwarranted”. Both the courts subsequently dismissed his petitions.

    Jharkhand Governor C P Radhakrishnan had earlier this week said that the ED was doing its duty and Soren should provide the “right answers” to the probe agency.

    In the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, the ruling coalition holds 47 seats, including 29 MLAs from the JMM, 17 from the Congress, and one each from the RJD and the Communist Party of India (Marxists-Leninist).

  • Can Hemant Soren Make His Wife Kalpana CM Of Jharkhand? Check What Laws Say |

    Months ahead of Jharkhand assembly polls, a big political turmoil is being seen in the state. Ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MLA Sarfaraz Ahmad, a three-time MLA, resigned unexpectedly from his Gandey constituency leaving the rumour mills abuzz. Ahmed, who had been twice elected to the state assembly from the Congress in the past, switched over to the JMM ahead of the 2019 assembly elections and won his home constituency of Gandey, his third assembly win.

    Some of the Soren family members are MLAs in the Jharkhand assembly including his brother Basant Sore from the Dumka seat and sister-in-law Sita Murmu or Sita Soren from the Jama seat. However, given the alleged family feud and ongoing Enforcement Directorate investigation, CM Heman Soren may install his wife as the Chief Minister, claimed BJP MP Nishikant Dubey. 

    However, since Hemant Soren’s wife Kalpana is not a member of the Jharkhand assembly, is it possible for her to become the Chief Minister? As per the law, any person who is made a Chief Minister or even a minister gets six months to get elected to the concerned assembly. So, if Dubey’s claim is believed, Kalpana Soren will have six months to get elected to the Jharkhand assembly and since there is one vacant seat – the Gandey constituency, she may contest the election from there. The Election Commission will have to hold a bypoll within six months. The Jharkhand assembly elections will be held around November-December this year which is still 11 months away.

    Since Jharkhand does not have a bicameral legislative structure, Kalpana will have no other option than contesting the bypoll. In a bicameral legislature, a person can get elected to the house through the Legislative council just like Akhilesh Yadav or Yogi Adityanath did during their first tenure as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.

    मुख्यमंत्री हेमंत सोरेन जी परेशान,उनके सचिव चौबे जी से लेकर महाधिवक्ता मिश्रा जी गांडेय उप चुनाव कराने के लिए परेशान,विधायक दल की बैठक कल ,राज्यपाल के पास अपना इस्तीफ़ा व कल्पना सोरेन जी को विधायक दल का नेता बनाने वाला पत्र राज्यपाल महोदय को एक साथ देने की तैयारी @CPRGuv झारखंड…
    — Dr Nishikant Dubey (@nishikant_dubey) January 2, 2024

    In a post on X, Dubey said that Chief Minister Hemant Soren is worried and his entire team is worried about the Gandey bypolls. Dubey said that the key meeting of the JMM Legislative Party may take place tomorrow and after the meeting, a letter to the Governor with CM Soren’s resignation and making Kalpana Soren the leader of the Legislative Party will be submitted. Dubey urged the Jharkhand governor to take any decision after legal advice.