Jharkhand News HIGHLIGHTS: Hemant Soren taken into ED custody, resigns as Chief Minister

The Enforcement Directorate officials left the residence of the Jharkhand Chief Minister after questioning the Chief Minister for over 7 hours.

JMM, Congress and Left parties have staked claim to form the government with the support of 43 MLAs under the leadership of Champai Soren as the new Chief Minister. “We have sought time for swearing-in at the earliest,” a JMM leader said after leaving from the meeting with the Governor.

JMM MP Mahua Maji claimed that Hemant Soren has been taken into ED custody and is meeting the Governor with the ED team to submit his resignation.

Hemant Soren today resigned as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand. The party has elected Champai Soren as the leader of the JMM legislature party.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren arrived at the Raj Bhavan to meet the Governor.

JMM legislators arrived at the Raj Bhavan to meet the Governor.

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha legislators left the CM’s residence in two tourist buses for the Raj Bhavan. The MLAs are set to meet the Governor in a short while from now.

The Jharkhand Chief Secretary and Director General of Police are present inside Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s residence where he is being questioned by the ED since 1 PM. According to TV reports, the ED may arrest Soren on money-laundering charges.

Legislators of the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and the Congress are likely to be paraded before the Governor at the Raj Bhavan today. In the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly, the JMM has 29 MLAs while the Congress has 16 MLAs. Othe parties part of the ruling alliance include NCP (1), CPI(M)L (1) and the RJD (1). The NDA, on the other hand, has 31 seats which includes 25 of the BJP, 3 of the AJSU and 3 Independents.

Jharkhand Governor CP Radhakrishnan is set to meet JMM MLAs at the Raj Bhavan between 9-9.30 PM. The earlier time allotted for the meeting was 7.50 PM. However, it was changed to later today evening.

Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren is under ED’s radar in two cases. Soren’s questioning and the 10 summonses issued to him are based on a First Information Report (FIR) filed under IPC Sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), and 471 (using forged document as genuine) in June 2022 on the complaint of a tax collector employed with the Ranchi Municipal Corporation. The ED has so far arrested 14 people in connection with the case, 10 of whom have been named in the chargesheet. Six land parcels in Jharkhand worth an estimated Rs 236 crore have also been provisionally attached in connection with this case.

CM Hemant Soren has been under ED’s radar in two money laundering cases emanating from Jharkhand. The first pertains to the alleged illegal transfer of ownership of a parcel of land in Ranchi, while the other is linked to alleged illegal stone mining in Sahibganj district.

There is a heavy deployment of security personnel outside the residence of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren who is currently being questioned by the Enforcement Directorate. The ED team arrived at the CM’s residence at around 1 PM.

Amid heightened movement around the CM’s residence in Ranchi, the district administration in Ranchi has imposed prohibitory orders in the 100-m vicinity of the CM house, the Raj Bhavan and the ED’s office in the state capital.

In a significant turn of events, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has filed a complaint against ED officials. An FIR has been subsequently lodged under the SC/ST Act against the lookout action initiated by the ED officials on Chief Minister Soren on January 29 by investigating and conducting raids at his Delhi residence. The FIR further states that ED officials have been harassing the Chief Minister by such acts.

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha appeared to put up a brave front as ED officials arrived at Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s residence in Ranchi.

A team of Enforcement Directorate officials arrived at the residence of Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday to question him.

The ED has accumulated enough evidence to incriminate the Jharkhand Chief Minister, TV reports citing agency officials said. The development could suggest that the arrest of the sitting CM may be imminent.

The Jharkhand Assembly has 81 seats with 42 as the majority mark to form a government. In the current Assembly, the JMM has 29 seats, Congress has 16, NCP has 1, CPI(M)L has 1 and the RJD has 1. The NDA opposition has 31 seats which includes 25 of the BJP, 3 of the AJSU and 3 Independents.

The JMM is learnt to be readying a plan to be put in effect if CM Hemant Soren is arrested by the ED. As per sources, Soren’s wife Kalpana could emerge as the top choice as CM. A majority of the MLAs part of the ruling alliance is learnt to have signed a letter of support for Kalpana Soren as CM.

ED officials have arrived at Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s residence in Ranchi to question him in a money-laundering case linked to an alleged land scam.

The ED team is travelling in a convoy of 15 cars en route to the Jharkhand Chief Minister’s residence in Ranchi. Hemant Soren is set to be questioned by the agency sleuths in a money-laundering case today.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren is set to be questioned by ED sleuths at his Ranchi residence on Wednesday. Security has been beefed up around the CM’s residence and the ED office.

JMM spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya said that Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren was being treated like a criminal but added that he was not scared of anyone.

Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that corruption, appeasement politics and dynasty politics are the three things that characterise the INDIA bloc.

The JMM has dismissed rumours of Hemant Soren being replaced by his wife as the Jharkhand CM. The JMM also rejected claims by the BJP that CM Soren as ‘missing’ as ‘fake’.

Enforcement Directorate officials have said that they have enough evidence against the Jharkhand Chief Minister to incriminate him, reports said.

Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren on Tuesday paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of Martyrs’ Day in Ranchi.

The JMM meeting chaired by CM Hemant Soren at his residence has concluded. However, leaders from the JMM and Congress continue to pour in.

BJP leader and former Jharkhand CM Babulal Marandi on Tuesday posted a “missing” posters against Hemant Soren on X.