Ranchi: Hearing was held in Jharkhand High Court on ED’s petition demanding handing over the FIR registered against ED officials under the SC-ST Act on the complaint of former Chief Minister Hemant Soren to CBI or other independent agency. In the case, the court has issued a notice to the defendant former Chief Minister Hemant Soren and sought his reply. The next hearing of the case will be after the summer vacation of the High Court. Advocates AK Das and Saurabh Kumar appeared on behalf of ED.
Ban on notice
On behalf of ED Assistant Director Devvrat Jha, a petition has been filed in the High Court alleging that Gonda Police is trying to harass the ED officer in this case. Therefore, the responsibility of investigating this case should be handed over to CBI or other independent agency. However, on the plea of ED officers Kapil Raj and others challenging the FIR registered against them under the SC-ST Act, the High Court stayed the notice served to the ED officers under 41A by the Gonda Police.
The court has said that till further orders, police cannot issue 41A notice to ED officers and call them for questioning. The court has continued to stay punitive action against the ED officer till further orders. This FIR has been registered by Jharkhand Police under the SC-ST Act in the SC-ST police station of Ranchi. This FIR has been registered on the complaint of search conducted by ED at the residence of Hemant Soren in Delhi.
These allegations were made
ED has requested the court to quash this case. In the FIR, senior ED officials have been accused of the search conducted at Hemant Soren’s Delhi residence. The FIR names ED additional director Kapil Raj, assistant directors Devvrat Jha and Anuman Kumar and Aman Patel along with unidentified officials. In this, Hemant Soren alleged that the ED search operation at his Delhi residence was carried out with the intention of harassing and defaming him and his community.
