The Jharkhand High Court has rejected a plea by Chief Minister Hemant Soren for an immediate stay on proceedings before the special PMLA court in Ranchi. The money-laundering case, investigated by the Enforcement Directorate, is tied to an alleged land purchase in Baragain. Soren had cited the legal protection of prior government sanction as a bar to the trial, but the single-judge bench held that such protection exists to shield public servants from harassment over genuine official duties rather than as a blanket shield against criminal allegations of this kind.
The court found that the accusations—which involve the alleged illegal acquisition of roughly 8.86 acres of tribal land and the manipulation of revenue records—do not on the face of it appear connected to the lawful discharge of his duties as Chief Minister. However, the court noted that this question would ultimately need to be examined through evidence at trial, adding that the absence of sanction at this preliminary stage was insufficient reason to halt the case. Soren had approached the High Court after the special PMLA court rejected his discharge application earlier this year, holding that the Enforcement Directorate had placed sufficient prima facie material on record.
Following the High Court’s rejection, Soren is expected to appear before the special court as the case moves toward the framing of formal charges. The High Court clarified that its observations were made solely for deciding the stay application and directed the trial court to proceed strictly in accordance with law. Soren’s separate challenge to the rejection of his discharge application remains pending and is listed for next month, while the ruling keeps the case intact amid differing views from the ruling alliance and the Enforcement Directorate.