CM Soren moves HC to restrain Guv from taking action on EC’S opinion
RANCHI: Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren on Monday approached the Jharkhand high court seeking directions to restrain governor Ramesh Bais from initiating any action on the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) opinion of the office of profit row surrounding his now-scrapped mining lease.
A political crisis gripped the state on August 25 after ECI sent a report to the governor, ostensibly recommending Soren’s disqualification as an MLA for allegedly holding a mining licence, in violation of the Representation of People’s Act, 1951.
But the governor has neither made the recommendation public, nor decided on it so far.
According to Soren’s counsel Piyush Chitresh, the writ petition also referred to recent media reports that said the governor sought a second opinion from the poll watchdog on the matter.
This came even as ECI officials said no further opinion was sought by the governor.
“We have a two-fold prayer in the petition. First, to restrain the governor from taking any action in furtherance to the ECI opinion sent to Raj Bhavan in reference to the chief minister’s mining lease,” Chitresh said.
“We have seen media reports saying the governor sought a second opinion from ECI on the issue... There have also been conflicting media reports that ECI has denied having received any such second opinion. This is creating a state of confusion... We have prayed that, if at all, ECI gives a second opinion, it should first give the petitioner an opportunity to be heard...” he added. HT reached out to an ECI official for a response on the matter but did not get one immediately. An official at Raj Bhavan refused to comment.