The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren for the seventh time in a land scam case in Ranchi. Calling it the last summon, the agency is said to have asked Soren to record his statement within seven days.
In the letter sent to the CM, ED has said that he should inform within two days by identifying a place where his statement can be recorded. This place should be suitable for both the parties.
Before this, summons were issued six times by the ED and Soren was asked to appear at the agency's zonal office in Ranchi. He was called for questioning for the first time on 14 August 2023. After this, summons were sent to appear on 24 August, 9 September, 23 September, 4 October and 12 December. However, the CM did not appear on any of these summons.
Every time he sent a written reply to the ED and called the summons unfair. Soren also filed a petition in the High Court and the Supreme Court against the ED summons, but he did not get much relief.
Notably, the ED wants to record the statement of Hemant Soren in connection with the investigation into the case of tampering and forgery in government documents related to the land of Badgain Circle of Ranchi.
The letter sent by the agency to Soren states that summons were sent to him six times, but he did not appear in the ED office even once. He gave baseless reasons for this. In view of the summons, his non-appearance is creating hurdles in the investigation of the case. Also the investigation is being affected. If the statement is not recorded after the seventh and last summons, appropriate action will be taken in this case.
