Relief for Jharkhand CM: Supreme Court Stays ED Trial

The Supreme Court has provided relief to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren by halting the trial in a money laundering case. Soren challenged repeated summons by the Enforcement Directorate in a stone-chip mining scam, claiming it's a misuse of legal processes aimed to harass him.

In a significant development, the Supreme Court has halted the trial against Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, pertaining to a money laundering case linked to illegal stone-chip mining. Soren had sought quashing of the repetitive summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), asserting it as a tool of harassment.

The bench, led by Chief Justice Surya Kant, issued a notice to the ED, acknowledging Soren's challenge to the Jharkhand High Court's decision that refused to quash the case against him. Soren's defense emphasized that the ED has overstepped, with seven summons issued, despite Soren seeking judicial remedies.

Legal representatives for Soren argue that the proceedings are an abuse of law, devised to vex and harass the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader. They contend that invoking legal recourse should not be misinterpreted as intentional non-compliance with the ED's summons, thus questioning the validity of the ongoing prosecution.

(With inputs from agencies.)