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PILs seeking probe into money-laundering allegations against Soren not maintainable: SC

The Supreme Court on Monday held that public interest petitions filed against Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren seeking a CBI probe into allegations of money laundering are not maintainable.

Soren had approached the Supreme Court after the State High Court had held that the PILs against him for alleged money laundering through shell companies and obtaining a mining lease was maintainable.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

The Bench which gave relief to Soren was headed by Chief Justice U. U. Lalit.

“We have allowed the appeals holding that the PILs are not maintainable,” Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia, on the Bench, said. The judgment is yet to be uploaded.

The Supreme Court had earlier stayed the Jharkhand High Court proceedings against Soren while reserving his appeals against the High Court decision for judgment. The PILs against Soren had also alleged violations of provisions of the Representation of People Act.

Taking cognisance of the controversy, the Election Commission of India (ECI) had sent a notice to Soren in May seeking his version on the mining lease issued in his favour while holding the Mining and Environment portfolios.

In its order on June 3, the HC had concluded that the “writ petitions cannot be thrown away on the ground of maintainability”. Prior to that, on May 24, the top court had asked the HC to first hear the preliminary objections on the maintainability of these petitions.

The allegations in these petitions include the setting up of several shell companies to launder money siphoned off from different welfare funds meant for Jharkhand. They allege that Soren and several others were involved in the formation of these shell companies.

Sharma had sought investigation by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into the allegations of corruption, misuse of office and money laundering against Soren. The Chief Minister had strongly denied the allegations levelled against him