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Soren challenges ED summons in HC, says it lacks clarity
Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren has challenged the ED summons in connection with a money laundering probe, arguing that he has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
Challenging the ED summons for questioning, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren told Jharkhand high court that the summons lacked clarity as he had neither been booked in any case nor had any complaint pending against him, people aware of the development said on Wednesday.
Soren had filed a writ petition challenging the summons in connection with an ongoing money laundering probe by the federal agency related to an alleged land scam in Ranchi.
The matter was taken up for hearing by the division bench of chief justice Sanjaya Mishra and justice Anand Sen on Wednesday.
“CM’s counsel sought time for a detailed hearing in the matter. The bench, however, told the petitioner to make their prima facie case in the matter. Appearing on behalf of the CM, senior counsel P Chidambaram told the court that there was no case pending against him and the ED summons lacked clarity whether the CM had been summoned as an accused or a witness,” an advocate who was part of the hearing said.
The ED, however, argued that the summons was related to a predicate offence and the petitioner had challenged the section 50 and 63 of PMLA, which had already been settled by the Supreme Court in a separate case. Following the brief hearing, the bench posted the matter for detailed hearing on October 13.
The federal agency till now has served five summons to Soren seeking his appearance before it on August 7, August 15, September 9, September 23 and October 4. Soren, however, has skipped all.
Soren moved Jharkhand HC on September 23, challenging the summon and two sections of PMLA.
Before moving the HC, Soren had approached the Supreme Court, which on September 18 had refused to entertain his petition against the summons, asking him to approach the jurisdictional high court first.
