HC vacates stay on Hemant Soren's appearance before MP-MLA Court

Ranchi, Nov 25 (PTI) The Jharkhand High Court on Tuesday vacated a stay on Chief Minister Hemant Soren's appearance before the MP-MLA court at Ranchi in a case filed by the Enforcement Directorate.

The high court was hearing a petition filed by Soren, challenging an order of personal appearance issued by the MP-MLA court special judge.

The Enforcement Directorate had issued summons to Soren to appear before its office, which he never complied with.

The complainant, Devraj Jha, assistant director of ED, filed the complaint stating that as many as 10 summons were issued to Soren to appear before the authority in connection with his involvement in the alleged land scam.

Soren had only appeared in response to two summons, while the others were ignored, Jha said.

Thereafter, the ED filed a complaint petition before the special judge of the MP-MLA court in 2024.

In the course of the hearing of the complaint petition filed by the Enforcement Directorate, the special judge ordered Soren to appear in person before the MP-MLA court in Ranchi.

Soren then moved a criminal miscellaneous petition before the Jharkhand High Court challenging the order of the MP-MLA Court directing his personal appearance.

The high court had issued notices to the ED to appear in the case and on December 2024 clamped a stay on the operation of the order of the lower court seeking Soren's appearance.

By virtue of the order of the High Court passed in December last year, Soren's appearance before the MP-MLA Court was kept in abeyance.

The state government, while appearing in the case on Tuesday, sought for an adjournment before the high court.

The court, while granting adjournment to the government, vacated the stay order granted earlier in the case to Soren. PTI CORR NAM RG