The Enforcement Directorate has issued fresh summons to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, asking him to appear before the agency for questioning on Tuesday. The agency has alleged a big racket involving illegal changes of land ownership being operated by the mafia in Jharkhand. The summons to the Chief Minister is in connection with an investigation into a money laundering case linked to the alleged land scam.

Soren has been summoned to the Enforcement Directorate’s office to provide a statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on December 12, PTI reported. This marks the sixth notice issued to Soren. However, he has never appeared, having filed a petition before the Supreme Court seeking protection from the ED’s actions.

CM Soren had initially filed a writ petition in the Jharkhand High Court to challenge the Enforcement Directorate’s summons in a money laundering case. After the petition was rejected by the top court, Soren was directed on Monday to approach the relevant High Court regarding his plea against the ED summons.

In his petition challenging the summons, Soren alleged an egregious misuse of law by the central government. He contended that the central agencies were being misused to disrupt the democratically elected government in Jharkhand, where he serves as the Chief Minister, as ANI reported.

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The investigation centres on the ED’s claim of a “huge racket of illegal land ownership changes by the mafia in Jharkhand.” The agency has detained 14 individuals, including Chhavi Ranjan, a 2011-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, who had held positions as the director of the state social welfare department and deputy commissioner of Ranchi.

Initially called by the ED in mid-August over a land ‘scam’ case, Soren had initially skipped the summons, citing commitments to the state’s Independence Day celebrations. Subsequent summons on August 24 and September 9 were also disregarded due to prior engagements.

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In response, the agency issued a fourth summons for Soren, setting a date for an appearance on September 23. Soren had previously hinted at potential legal action against the Centre if the summons weren’t withdrawn.

In his communication with the agency, Soren highlighted his provision of all essential documents and information required by the ED. He emphasized that if further details were needed, they could refer to the previously submitted documents. However, he alleged that the ED’s summons on August 14 was influenced by its “political masters”

(With Agencies Inputs)