Jharkhand Court Relieves Hemant Soren From Personal Appearance in Land Scam Case

Jharkhand High Court Exempts Chief Minister Hemant Soren From Personal Appearance in Land Scam Case.

The Jharkhand High Court on Wednesday granted relief to Chief Minister Hemant Soren, exempting him from appearing in person before the MP-MLA Court in a case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) regarding an alleged land scam.

Soren had challenged a personal appearance order issued by the special judge of the MP-MLA Court, seeking to be represented by his counsel instead. Justice Anil Kumar Choudhary disposed of Soren’s plea, allowing him to be represented in court.

The ED had filed a complaint after Soren failed to comply with multiple summonses issued in connection with the alleged land scam. Out of ten summonses, he reportedly appeared only for two, prompting the agency to move the MP-MLA Court in 2024.

The high court had earlier stayed the operation of the lower court’s order in December 2024. On Wednesday, while granting an adjournment to the state government, the court vacated the previous stay but allowed Soren to continue being represented by his lawyers instead of appearing personally.