Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Ranchi: The Jharkhand High Court on Monday extended the exemption granted to Chief Minister Hemant Soren from personal appearance before the MP/MLA court in Ranchi in a case related to disobeying summonses by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The high court allowed the ED one week more time to file its response on the matter.
On December 4, a bench of Justice Anil Kumar Chaudhary granted Soren exemption from appearing before the judicial magistrate till December 16.
It had given a week's time to the ED to file a response by way of a counter affidavit.
The probe agency had filed a complaint against Soren before the court of the judicial magistrate for his non-appearance, though he was summoned several times in connection with a case of alleged money laundering linked to a land scam.
The court had ordered him to appear before it in person on December 4.
The chief minister challenged the order of the judicial magistrate before the high court, saying he was unable to appear personally due to official commitments and engagements.
Opposing his plea, the ED submitted before the court that the petitioner was issued seven summonses, but he did not appear and was not cooperating with the investigation.
After hearing both sides, the high court granted Soren's plea and exempted him from personally appearing before the MP/MLA court.
Soren, the JMM executive president, was arrested by the ED on January 31 shortly after he resigned as the chief minister. He became CM again after the high court granted him bail in June.
He returned to power in November after winning the assembly elections.