Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - Live
Soren to HC: PIL aimed at destabilising my govt
RANCHI: Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren has urged the high court to dismiss a petition seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) into a stone mining lease in his name, saying it was an attempt to “destabilise the democratically-elected state government”.
In an affidavit filed on Thursday, Soren also alleged that the petitioner held a “personal grudge” against him and that his (the petitioner’s) had allegedly tried to implicate Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) founder Shibu Soren in a murder case in 2006. Shibu Soren, who is the chief minister’s father, was eventually acquitted by the high court and Supreme Court in the matter.
The CM’s response came after Shiv Shankar Sharma on February 16 sought CBI and ED probes into how Hemant Soren, who is in-charge of the mining department, obtained the lease for a piece of land on the outskirts of Ranchi.
Besides seeking a probe by the two agencies, the petitioner also sought the chief minister’s disqualification from the legislative assembly under the Representation of People’s Act for holding an “office of profit”. The Election Commission of India is looking into that charge.
In his affidavit, filed through lawyer Kundan Kumar Mishra,
Soren said the mining lease for a 0.88-acre parcel of land was originally granted to him on lease for 10 years on May 17, 2008. Independent lawmaker Madhu Koda served as Jharkhand chief minister from September 2006 to August 2008 with the support of JMM and Congress, among others.
The chief minister said he applied for renewal of the mining lease in 2018 but the application lapsed. He added that he reapplied “sometime in 2021” when the deputy commissioner in Ranchi invited fresh applications and he was subsequently granted the lease as per procedure.
However, Hemant Soren said, he did not seek a consent to operate the lease and on February 4 , applied to surrender the lease. His request was accepted by the department upon payment of the prescribed fee, he added.
Soren also cited a parallel “office of profit” probe by the Election Commission, which has issued a notice and sought his response by May 10. ECI’s move came following a complaint by the Bharatiya Janata Party.