look news india
These days, the issue of alleged land scam and money laundering related to the famous Badgai area of Ranchi has become the biggest topic of discussion in the political and administrative circles of Jharkhand. State Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s troubles in this high-profile case are not showing any signs of diminishing. After the lower court i.e. the special PMLA court refused to stay the judicial action being taken against him and the process of framing charges, the Chief Minister has now approached the Jharkhand High Court. After this legal step, the excitement in the politics of the state has once again intensified and all eyes are fixed on this important decision of the High Court.
This entire controversy is related to alleged illegal acquisition of about 8.86 acres of land falling under Bargain area of Ranchi, manipulation and fraud in documents. Central investigating agency Enforcement Directorate (ED) had filed its prosecution complaint under money laundering charges after a long investigation in this case. The names of a total of 17 accused including Chief Minister Hemant Soren are included in this case. Earlier, a discharge petition was filed by the Chief Minister in the special PMLA court, which was rejected by the court. The court was of the view that on the basis of the documents and evidence on record, a prima facie case is made out in this case, after which the further legal process and charge framing action in the case is progressing rapidly.
After not getting relief from the lower court, the legal team of Chief Minister Hemant Soren has filed a new criminal writ petition in the Jharkhand High Court. Through this petition, the order of the special PMLA court has been challenged in which a clear refusal was made to stop the process of framing charges. Soren’s lawyers have been arguing that many technical and legal provisions have not been taken care of during the entire proceedings and prosecution, hence this process of the lower court should be stopped. However, even before this, the High Court had refused to grant interim relief, saying that it would not be appropriate to stop the entire judicial proceedings on this basis alone. Now it remains to be seen what stand the division bench of the High Court takes on the admissibility and hearing of this new writ petition.
In this much discussed case of Jharkhand, the coming days are going to prove to be very decisive from the legal point of view. On one hand, the admissibility and legality of this new petition is to be heard in the High Court, while on the other hand, the next formal proceedings related to this case are scheduled in the special PMLA court. The process of framing charges against the other 16 accused in the case has almost been completed, and now all eyes are on what direction the court and the law take with respect to the Chief Minister. The impact of this legal conflict is visible not only on the judicial platform, but its far-reaching consequences are also visible in the political atmosphere of the state, where statements between the ruling party and the opposition are continuing.