Ranchi
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren suffered a significant legal setback on Monday after a Special PMLA Court in Ranchi rejected his discharge petition in the alleged 8.86-acre land scam and money laundering case being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The order was pronounced by Special Judge Yogesh Kumar, who held that the materials available on record were sufficient at the prima facie stage to proceed further in the case. The court had reserved its verdict on June 3 after hearing detailed arguments from both the prosecution and the defense.
With the dismissal of the discharge plea, the case will now move to the stage of framing of charges, paving the way for trial proceedings against Soren and other accused persons.
The case stems from ECIR No. 06/2023 registered by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). According to the agency, an organized land syndicate was allegedly involved in the illegal acquisition and manipulation of records related to an 8.86-acre parcel of land located on Bariatu Road in Ranchi.
During the course of the investigation, ED officials reportedly recovered 17 original land registers and a large number of revenue-related documents from the possession of former revenue sub-inspector Bhanu Pratap Prasad. The agency claims that these records revealed evidence of land grabbing and tampering with official revenue documents.
Appearing for Hemant Soren, senior advocates argued that the disputed land had no direct nexus with any scheduled offence under the PMLA. The defense maintained that the land was neither registered in Soren’s name nor was there any direct evidence establishing his possession of the property. It further contended that several witness statements relied upon by the ED were based on hearsay and could not form the basis of a criminal conspiracy charge.
Opposing the plea, the ED argued that the accused were effectively seeking a “mini-trial” at the discharge stage. The agency submitted that at the stage of framing charges, the court is only required to determine whether a prima facie case exists and not to conduct a detailed examination of evidence.
The ED maintained that its investigation had uncovered sufficient material indicating the need for a full-fledged trial to examine the alleged role of the accused in the land scam and money laundering case.
The court’s decision marks an important development in one of the most closely watched legal cases involving the Jharkhand Chief Minister, with trial proceedings expected to commence in the coming months.
