The Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Court here on Monday deferred framing charges against Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren in connection with an alleged land scam money laundering case, people aware of the development said.
The court has now scheduled the next hearing for September 24 at 3 PM, where Soren is directed to appear via video conferencing.
A civil court lawyer close to the matter informed that the reason for the deferment was technical.
“The court had previously made Soren’s appearance mandatory by 4 PM on Monday allowing for either physical or virtual presence after the Jharkhand High Court on September 18 refused to stay the trial proceedings. Soren had skipped the preceding Saturday hearing, citing a busy official schedule. However, Monday’s scheduled appearance and the subsequent framing of charges could not take place due to a technical server failure,” the lawyer said.
Advocate General Rohistasya Roy confirmed the new September 24 hearing date but did not comment on the technical reasons behind the deferment.
“Date of framing charge has been deferred to September 24,” Roy said, suggesting to contact senior Additional Advocate General (AAG) Achyut Keshav who appeared in the matter. Keshav could be contacted for his comment.
{{/usCountry}}“Date of framing charge has been deferred to September 24,” Roy said, suggesting to contact senior Additional Advocate General (AAG) Achyut Keshav who appeared in the matter. Keshav could be contacted for his comment.
{{/usCountry}}A civil court advocate close to the matter said before the court deferred the hearing on technical grounds, a petition was filed demanding unrelied-upon documents but it was withdrawn.
“Before the court deferred the hearing, Soren’s legal team had filed a petition demanding unrelied-upon documents from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and requested the court to defer framing of the charge until the documents were supplied. However, the same petition was withdrawn,” the advocate said.
Explaining unrelied-upon documents the advocate said: “Unrelied-upon documents are materials, statements, or evidence collected by an investigating agency during an investigation that the prosecution chooses not to use to prove the accused’s guilt. Legally, the accused has a right to know about or inspect them to ensure a fair trial.”
The case stems from a high-profile investigation by the ED into an alleged massive land scam. The probe focuses on the illegal buying and selling of land, including defence land, using forged documents and manipulated land records.
The ED alleges that a sophisticated syndicate, involving government officials and private individuals, altered official records in Ranchi’s Bargain circle to illegally acquire property. CM Soren was arrested by ED on January 31, 2024, in connection with the money laundering aspect of this land scam, shortly after resigning from his post.
He was later granted bail by Jharkhand HC on June 28, 2024, after which he reassumed office. The current trial proceedings focus on formally framing criminal charges to initiate the trial.