VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, Dec. 22: A single bench of Justice Sanjay Dwivedi of the Jharkhand High Court on Thursday briefly heard the Barharwa toll plaza case and deferred the hearing till January 16 next year.
Pakur-based businessman Shambhu Nandan had filed a criminal writ petition seeking a CBI inquiry of the police complaint lodged by him in June 2020 at the Barharwa police station in Sahibganj district. Shambhu Nandan alleged that minister Alamgir Alam and Pankaj Mishra, who is representative of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, had threatened him for participating in the auction for Barharwa toll plaza. He was also assaulted allegedly at the behest of minister Pankaj Mishra. But the police gave a clean chit to Pankaj Mishra and the minister.
Shambhu Nandan was represented by senior advocate Abhay Mishra. Advocate General Rajiv Ranjan was not present during the hearing. His name has surfaced in the affidavit of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) where the ED has alleged him for spying upon the ED which is investigating the Barharwa toll plaza case that has turned into investigation of the illegal stone mining scam. Additional Advocate General Sachin Kumar appeared for the state of Jharkhand. Former Advocate General Ajit Kumar appeared for Pankaj Mishra whereas as a senior advocate of Delhi High court cum office bearer of the bar association appeared for minister Alamgir Alam.
Sachin Kumar sought additional time from the court to file a reply and said that the state government has filed an SLP before the Supreme Court to challenge jurisdiction of the ED in the Barharwa case. On this the court asked that why not the case should be referred to the CBI as the state police carried a faulty investigation in gaste? Time was also sought by Alamgir Alam and Pankaj Mishra also.
Abhay Mishra said that it was a fit case for the CBI investigation as a high-level conspiracy was involved in this matter.
