Amid claims that Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren was ‘missing’ after an Enforcement Directorate (ED) team arrived at his Delhi residence for questioning in a money laundering investigation on Monday, Soren responded in a letter dated January 29, stating that he would record his statement before the agency officials at 1 pm on Wednesday at his residence.
While agreeing to record his statement, the Jharkhand Chief Minister alleged that questioning him at this time was more political and aimed at disrupting the functioning of his government.
“You are well aware that the Budget Session of the Legislative Assembly will be held between 2nd and 29th February 2024, and the undersigned will be preoccupied with preparations for the same, apart from other prior scheduled official engagements,” Soren’s letter to ED’s Ranchi office said.
“In these circumstances, your insistence on recording a further statement of the undersigned on or before 31 January 2024 reeks of malice and reveals your political agenda to disrupt the functioning of the State Government and prevent an elected representative of the people from discharging his official duties,” the letter added.
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Soren’s letter accused the ED of politically motivated actions, describing them as “malafide and politically motivated” and stating that the summons issued to him was vexatious and a colourable exercise of powers given by the statute.
The ED officials visited Soren’s residence in the national capital on Monday night to question him in connection with an alleged land scam case, stating that the Jharkhand Chief Minister could not be located.
Meanwhile, Jharkhand minister Banna Gupta defended Soren, saying that he has stated that he will answer all the questions of the ED within the deadline provided by the ED and the they should wait till the deadline.
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“I don’t want to make any comments on ED, everything will come to people’s court, they are the head in democracy. People set the narrative regarding what is happening to whom, and why is it happening.” he further added.
Jharkhand Governor CP Radhakrishnan, in Ranchi, emphasized that nobody was above the law, and the CM must adhere to legal obligations. He stated, “Similar to you (the media), we are also awaiting the CM’s response. Nobody is exempt from the law. We must operate within the bounds of the Constitution. Upholding law and order is crucial.”
Meanwhile, Section 144 CrPC has been imposed within a 100-meter radius of Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s residence, Raj Bhavan, and the ED office in Ranchi.
According to ANI, the ED issued fresh summonses to Soren, requiring his availability for questioning on either January 29 or 31, failing which the agency would visit him for an inquiry. This marks the tenth summons issued to the Jharkhand Chief Minister by the ED.
On Monday night, ED officials seized a luxury car owned by Soren from his Delhi residence, late Monday, in connection with the ongoing probe into a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam.