Land scam: Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren defiant, ignores ED summons for sixth time

Ranchi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday defied the ED notice for the sixth time in a row, pertaining to questioning in the sale land scam case.

The ED, in its investigation, has unraveled a land scam in which government land was sold by mafia with the alleged connivance of bureaucrats close to the Chief Minister of Jharkhand .

Instead of appearing in front of ED at 11 am, Soren attended a government programme in Dumka district of Jharkhand .

Hemant Soren sent a letter to the ED office at around 3 pm, stating, “ The summons of ED is not clear. It's not clear whether I am being summoned as an accused or Whether I have to co-operate in the investigations . ED should not trouble me without any reason”.

Earlier, on multiple occasions Hemant Soren had dared the Ed to arrest him, but he will not appear before the ED for questioning as it's politically motivated. Hemant Soren had also challenged the ED summons in the Supreme Court. Stating that  that "the summons were issued against him out of 'malice' and false allegations were levelled against him with the sole motive to create political uncertainty and unrest in the state". But his pleas was dismissed by the supreme court .

The ED issued had issued its first summons to Hemant Soren  in the land scam on  August 14. He is already facing a case in the mining scam in which  he had deposed for questioning in November 2022 before the ED and around a dozen of his close aides have been arrested .

Jharkhand BJP Spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo said that "by this defiance of ED by Hemant Soren the constitutional machinery has collapsed. The governor should immediately sack the Jharkhand govt and impose President's rule in the state ".

The ED has already arrested 14 people in the case, including a 2011 batch Jharkhand cadre IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan in the land scam case.

By this open defiance , Hemant Soren is daring the ED to arrest him ,so that he can take political advantage , by portraying himself as a martyr. The JMM feels that Soren's arrest would not only antagonise the tribal voters in Jharkhand but at the same time may create a sympathy in the election year. The recovery of more than Rs 350 crore cash from the premises of Jharkhand Congress MP Dhiraj Sahu, has dented the image of the Opposition parties.