LAGATAR24 NETWORK
Ranchi, Sept. 26: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) today issued fresh summons to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, asking him to appear before the agency on October 4 for questioning in the multi-crore land scam in Ranchi.
It was the fifth summons issued after Soren skipped four summons citing various reasons.
He had sent a letter to the ED on September 23, pleading that the summons be put on hold till the Jharkhand High Court delivers its judgment on his petition filed to quash the summons. The high court is yet to list the case for hearing.
Soren had moved the high court after the Supreme Court told him to approach the Jharkhand High Court instead of coming directly to the apex court.
The chief minister had approached the Supreme Court against the summons of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), saying that it is wrong for the ED to summon him in the land scam.
Soren, in his petition, had stated that the summons is a clear misuse of the Section 50 of the PMLA, which directly infringes upon his right of personal liberty enshrined in the Constitution. “The draconian provisions of PMLA are being misused without giving any information to the person being summoned and the purpose and realm of enquiry,” he stated in his petition.
Notably, he 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.
Again, he skipped the second summons, saying he has challenged it in the Supreme Court and so, the ED should wait till the apex court’s order.
However, the ED issued the third summons and asked him to appear for questioning on September 9. The chief minister, however, decided to attend the G20 dinner hosted by President Droupadi Murmu and skipped it again. Thereafter, the ED issued fourth summons and asked him to appear on September 23.
