Furnish report in CM's mining lease case: Jharkhand HC tells state, ED

The Jharkhand high court has asked the state government and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to submit a status report on the investigation into a stone mining plot leased in the name of Chief Minister Hemant Soren. The plot, located in the Angara block of Ranchi district, was granted to Soren in his individual capacity when he was the minister of the mines department.

RTI activist Sunil Kumar Mahto filed a public interest litigation (PIL) against Soren, claiming that holding a mining lease is a violation of the "not holding of an office of profit" rule for public representatives. The division bench of Chief Justice Sanjaya Kumar Mishra and Justice Ananda Sen has directed that the case will be heard again on May 1.

While the state government's advocate general, Rajiv Ranjan, defended the government and called the PIL politically motivated, Mahto's counsel, Vishal Kumar, argued that the earlier case filed against Soren was by a person with a personal grudge against the Soren family and his credibility was not clearly established before the Supreme Court.

The mining lease, which was issued for quarrying stones in over 88 decimals of land, was surrendered by Soren after it was highlighted in the media. The court will now await the status report from the state government and ED before deciding on the matter.