SUMAN K SHRIVASTAVA
Ranchi, Aug. 24: Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren today skipped the summons issued by the ED, again.
It was the second summons, issued by the ED, to interrogate the chief minister in the Ranchi land scam.
According to sources, Soren has sent a letter to the ED, saying he has moved the Supreme Court, challenging the summons.
Notably, Soren had skipped the first summons for questioning in connection with an ongoing money laundering case related to fraudulent sale of land parcels in the state capital on August 14.
In a letter to the ED, he had sought its withdrawal questioning its legality.
The chief minister had also reportedly questioned the choice of date, August 14, for scheduling the questioning despite the common knowledge about the involvement of the office of the chief minister in Independence Day celebrations a day later.
The ED has been probing two major cases of money laundering in Jharkhand. The first case is related to illegal mining in Sahibganj. The CM was questioned in connection with mining case on November 17 last year.
The second case is related to alleged land scam in the state capital. 13 people, including IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan and two businessmen, Amit Agarwal of Kolkata and Bishnu Agarwal, who owns shopping malls in Ranchi, have already been arrested in connection with the alleged land scam.
