Jharkhand High Court Extends Exemption for Chief Minister Soren in ED Case

The Jharkhand High Court has extended the exemption granted to Chief Minister Hemant Soren from personally appearing in court in response to the Enforcement Directorate's charges connected to disobeying summonses related to a money laundering case. The high court has provided the ED with an additional week to reply.

In a significant development, the Jharkhand High Court has extended the exemption granted to Chief Minister Hemant Soren, allowing him to skip personal appearance in the MP/MLA court in Ranchi. This extension concerns a case alleging non-compliance with summonses issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) related to purported money laundering activities.

The high court's decision follows a request for more time from the ED to file a detailed response. Chief Minister Soren had earlier been exempted from appearing before the judicial magistrate's court by a bench led by Justice Anil Kumar Chaudhary, which sought a counter affidavit from the ED within a week.

The ED had previously lodged a complaint against Soren for failing to respond to multiple summonses over his alleged involvement in a land scam, pressing the court to mandate his appearance. Nevertheless, considering Soren's argument of unavoidable official commitments, the high court granted his plea, permitting him temporary reprieve from court proceedings.

(With inputs from agencies.)