SC stays trial in money laundering case against Jharkhand CM Soren

The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday stayed the trial proceedings in a money laundering case registered against Hemant Soren.A Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and M. Vipul Pancholi issued notice to the Enforcement Directorate on a plea filed by Soren seeking quashing of the complaint case against him.The top court’s order effectively halts the ongoing trial before the special MP-MLA court until further directions.
In his petition before the apex court, Soren challenged the continuation of proceedings arising from a complaint filed by the ED in connection with an alleged land scam. He also questioned the repeated summons issued to him by the central probe agency, contending that the action was unwarranted.
The plea further assails the January 15 order of the Jharkhand High Court, which had refused to quash the cognisance taken against him by the special court in the ED’s complaint case. The High Court had declined to interfere with the proceedings, dealing a setback to the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader.The ED had initiated the complaint alleging that Mr. Soren failed to appear before it despite multiple summons in connection with the alleged land-related irregularities under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.