The Supreme Court will hear on Friday two separate petitions filed by the Jharkhand government and Chief Minister Hemant Soren, challenging an order of the High Court, which had accepted the maintainability of a PIL, seeking probe against Soren, in connection with irregularities in the grant of lease for mining.
Earlier on Monday, a Bench comprising Chief Justice N.V. Ramana, Justice Krishna Murari and Justice Hima Kohli took note of the submissions made by Senior Advocates Kapil Sibal and Meenakshi Arora, representing the Jharkhand government and the Chief Minister respectively, seeking an urgent hearing in the matter.
The Apex Court decided to hear it on August 12.
A petition filed before the Jharkhand High Court had sought a probe into alleged irregularities in the grant of mining leases and also into the transactions of some shell companies allegedly operated by the Chief Minister’s family members and associates.
The Jharkhand High Court had permitted the PIL, which sought probe against the Chief Minister.
in the matter of allotment of lease to CM Hemant Soren and investment by shell companies close to his brother Basant Soren. The order of the Jharkhand High Court has been challenged by CM Hemant Soren and the state government by filing a petition. In which the High Court has considered both the petitions related to this as fit for hearing. Now the court hears the matter on merit. Sarkar and Hemant Soren have said in the petition that there is no evidence of the allegations made by the applicant in the petition. The petition has been filed for political reasons. But the High Court has accepted the petition for hearing considering it worthy. The Supreme Court has been asked to set aside the order of the High Court and to impose damages on the applicant while dismissing the petition. Both the above petitions have been filed by the applicant Shivshankar Sharma.
Government filed intervention petition
The local commissioner of Jharkhand has filed an intervention petition in the Supreme Court. It has been said in the petition that he wants to place some facts related to the petitioner’s advocate Rajiv Kumar in the court. Rajeev Kumar has been arrested by Kolkata Police on July 31 evening for extorting money from a businessman. In the name of giving relief from PIL to Kolkata-based businessman Amit Agarwal, Rs 50 lakh was taken from advocate Rajiv Kumar. Media reports of his arrest and the FIR of Kolkata Police have also been attached in the petition.
On the other hand, Bacchu Yadav, close to Barhait MLA representative Pankaj Mishra, accused of money laundering case related to illegal mining and managing tenders, was produced in the special court of ED. From where he has been sent to jail after taking judicial custody. The ED produced him in the court after the completion of his six-day remand period.
During this, remand was not sought by the ED for interrogation. After which the court ordered to send him to jail. The ED had arrested Bacchu Yadav on August 5. The date of August 18 has been fixed for the next production of the accused. Pankaj Mishra will also be produced in the court on the same day.