Ranchi: The Jharkhand High Court has imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on Chief Minister Hemant Soren for seeking additional time to file his response in a case involving an FIR registered against Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The matter came up for hearing on Thursday before the court of Justice A.K. Choudhary. During the proceedings, Soren’s counsel sought another extension to submit a reply in the case. Although the court granted additional time, it imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on the Chief Minister and directed him to deposit the amount with the Jharkhand State Legal Services Authority (JHALSA).
The court granted Soren four weeks to file his response and fixed November 2 as the date for the next hearing. His counsel had sought six weeks to submit the reply.
The proceedings relate to a petition filed by former ED officials Kapil Raj, Devvrat Jha and others, seeking the quashing of an FIR registered against them at the instance of Soren. The officials have challenged both the registration of the FIR and the investigation being conducted on its basis.
FIR Filed Over Alleged Harassment During ED Proceedings
Soren had lodged the FIR against the ED officials under the SC/ST Act, alleging harassment during questioning and official proceedings. Subsequently, the officials approached the High Court, seeking relief from the criminal proceedings.
The ED’s side was represented by Additional Solicitor General of India S.V. Raju, senior advocate Amit Kumar Das and advocate Saurav Kumar.
Earlier, the High Court had stayed notices issued by the police to the ED officials and sought a response from the state government. The matter will now be heard on November 2.
