ED Charges Ex-Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren with Illegal Land Acquisition
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has charged former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and four others with illegally acquiring 8.86 acres of land in Ranchi valued at over Rs 31 crore. According to the federal probe agency, invoices for a refrigerator and a smart TV purchased in the names of family members of a certain Santosh Munda, who claims to have been caretaking the property on Soren’s behalf for over a decade, have been pivotal in establishing Soren’s connection to the land. These details emerged in the ED’s charge sheet, which was recognized by the special PMLA court in Ranchi earlier this month.
Soren was arrested on January 31 following allegations of money laundering connected to this land grab case and is currently held in judicial custody. The ED’s investigations reveal that the land, initially designated ‘Bhuinhari’ and not meant for sale or transfer, was forcibly taken over by Soren in 2010-11. Further evidences, including the purchase of household appliances in the names of Munda’s children, have been used to counter claims by another individual, Rajkumar Pahan, alleged by the ED to be a facade for Soren’s ownership.
The ED has further outlined how this case of alleged land grab is part of a broader investigation into corrupt land acquisition practices in Ranchi, involving collusion between private individuals and government officials. This charge sheet against Soren and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act marks a significant development in the ongoing probe into corruption and illegal land deals in the state.
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