VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, Dec. 6: Shiv Shankar Sharma on Monday filed a review petition before the Supreme Court against the judgment of the Supreme Court dismissing two of his PILs related to alleged money laundering through shell companies and Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren availing the stone mining lease in his name.
Both the PILs -4290 of 2021 and 727 of 2022- are primarily against the Chief minister, his family members and associates. Both the PIL witnessed a prolonged legal battle and hearing by a division bench of Chief Justice Dr Ravi Ranjan and Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad of Jharkhand. The High court found both the PILs maintainable and allowed further hearing as the petitioner had demanded a CBI inquiry of the matter.
In the Writ Petition No. 4290/2021, the petitioner had alleged about laundering of misappropriated public money by Hemant Soren through his numerous associates/accomplices, who used to run a large number of companies registered in Jharkhand as well as the State of West Bengal. According to the allegations leveled by the petitioner, these companies were dummy ones, which were used solely for the purpose of laundering money acquired illegally by Hemant Soren and his family members and associates and were not carrying out any business as stated.
The second writ petition 727/ 2022 was filed by the petitioner alleging misuse of official position by Hemant Soren to get a mining lease in his favour, while holding post of Minister in charge of Department of Mines, which he had surrendered when this matter was revealed to the general public and the matter was published in various media reports.
But a three-judge bench headed by the then CJI UU Lalit dismissed the PIL and said that it was not proper for Jharkhand High Court to entertain such PILs based on mere allegations and half-baked truth, that “too at the hands of a person who has not been able to fully satisfy his credentials and has come to the Court with unclean hands.”
