Illegal Mining Case: ED Raids Hemant Soren’s Associates For Money Laundering

The Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Hemant Soren, is in a tough situation again for his scams. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MLA from Gandey, Sarfaraz Ahmad, has suddenly resigned. Ahmad was elected three times and was with the Congress before joining JMM in 2019.

This has started a rumor that Hemant Soren might make his wife, Kalpana, the Chief Minister. But Kalpana is not an MLA, so how can she become the CM? 

The law says if someone becomes Chief Minister or any cabinet minister, they have six months to win an election to the assembly. 

Since there’s a vacant seat in Gandey, Kalpana could run for election there. A by-election must happen in six months. But, Jharkhand’s main assembly elections are still 11 months away.

In Jharkhand, there’s only one legislative house. So, Kalpana must win the by-election to become an MLA. Leaders can become MLAs through the Legislative Council in states with two houses, like Uttar Pradesh. That’s what Akhilesh Yadav had done.

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey says Hemant Soren might resign and propose Kalpana as the new Chief Minister of Jharkhand. Dubey suggests waiting for legal advice before any action.

Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided the house and premises of Hemant Soren’s associates. They’re investigating money laundering linked to illegal land deals. They raided his press advisor, Abhishek Prasad, and other officials’ homes in Ranchi and Rajasthan.

The ED is looking into a big illegal mining case and has been investigating since last year. There are predictions that Rs 100 crore was made illegally. Soren has missed 7 ED summons to date. He claims the summons are illegal and went to the Supreme Court and Jharkhand High Court for protection, but they disagreed.

Also Read: ED Summons To Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren In ₹1200 Crore Land Scam

This illegal mining case is about illegal land ownership changes in Jharkhand. The ED has arrested 14 people, including a senior IAS officer, Chhavi Ranjan. Soren was also questioned by the ED last year in another case related to illegal mining.