Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], September 19 : The Jharkhand High Court on Friday rejected Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s plea seeking an immediate stay on proceedings against him before the Special PMLA Court here in connection with the alleged Bargain land purchase case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Following the dismissal of his petition, the Chief Minister is now likely to appear in person before the Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Court in Ranchi today, where the case is scheduled for the crucial stage of framing of charges.
Soren had approached the High Court challenging the special PMLA court's June decision, which had rejected his discharge application. In June, the special trial court held that the ED had placed sufficient prima facie evidence on record to proceed against the Chief Minister, thereby refusing to drop the proceedings against him.
In his latest interlocutory application (IA), Soren had prayed for an interim freeze on all proceedings before the special court, arguing that the trial could not move forward because the required prior government sanction to prosecute him as a public servant had not been granted by the Governor.
However, the single-judge bench of Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad rejected Soren’s arguments, observing that the legal protection of government sanction is meant to protect public servants performing genuine official work from harassment, and cannot be used as a blanket shield against criminal allegations.
The High Court observed that the accusations against Soren—which involve the alleged illegal acquisition and possession of 8.86 acres of tribal land in Baragain and the manipulation of government revenue records—prima facie have no connection with the lawful discharge of official duties as Chief Minister.
The bench further pointed out that whether an act is linked to official duty is a matter to be examined through evidence during the trial itself. The court added that the absence of sanction at this preliminary stage cannot be a reason to halt the proceedings, noting that any unnecessary delay at the start of a criminal case could harm the preservation of evidence.
Clarifying that its observations were preliminary and made solely for deciding the stay petition, the High Court directed the Special PMLA Court to proceed with the case strictly in accordance with law, without being influenced by the order.
The High Court has posted Soren's main petition challenging the rejection of his discharge application for its next hearing on October 14.