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Hemant Soren land grab case: Enforcement Directorate (ED) accused Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren of grabbing land worth Rs 31 crore in Ranchi. ED told the special PMLA court that Hemant Soren had taken possession of 8.86 acres of land. To prove its allegations, ED presented the bill of freeze and a smart TV in the court. The agency had obtained this bill from two dealers of Ranchi and included them in the charge sheet of this case. This case was heard by Judge Rajeev Ranjan of Ranchi’s PMLA Court.
Hemant Soren’s claims refuted
Hemant Soren’s official residence was raided by a team of ED officials on January 31 this year. After about 10 hours of interrogation and investigation, ED officers arrested Hemant Soren. ED officers told the court that both the fridge and the TV whose bill was attached in the charge sheet were purchased in the name of Santosh Munda’s family members. Santosh Munda told the investigating officers that this property belonged to Hemant Soren, and he was taking care of it. Whereas Hemant Soren had said that he has nothing to do with this land. To refute Hemant Soren’s claims, the officers presented the statement of Santosh Munda in the court.
Rajkumar Pahan told as Soren’s helper
Rajkumar Pahan, who had staked claim on this government land, was disguised as Hemant Soren by the investigating agency. ED told the court that the first summons in this case was issued to Soren in August last year. A few days later, Pahan had staked claim on the land. Pahan had written a letter to the Deputy Commissioner of Ranchi. He had claimed that he himself and some others were the real owners of this land. Therefore, the mutations done in the names of other people should be canceled and my property should be returned to me. The ED has accused the state government of allotting the land to Pahan just before Soren’s arrest to maintain his control over the property. As per ED claims, this move allegedly ensured uninterrupted capture for the JMM leader.
Ownership of ‘Bhuinhari’ properties is not transferred
According to the ED, the land in question originally belonged to a category known as ‘Bhuinhari’ property, which cannot be transferred under normal circumstances. It was owned by ‘Munda’ and ‘Pahan’. The agency alleges that Soren took over the land in 2010-11 after it was sold to others by the original allottees. According to the ED, Santosh Munda worked as the caretaker of the property under the instructions of Soren. Munda said that Soren and his wife visited the land several times. Munda also worked as a laborer during the construction of the boundary wall of the land.
ED presented 191 pages charge sheet in the court
The agency claims it has evidence, including bills for a refrigerator and a smart TV purchased at the property’s address, which show that Mr Munda and his family lived there. The ED alleges that Pahan worked as an associate for Soren to conceal the real ownership of the property. In the 191-page charge sheet, Hemant Soren, Rajkumar Pahan, Hilarias Kachhap, Bhanu Pratap Prasad and Binod Singh have been made accused. The ED has attached land worth over ₹31.07 crore and sought prosecution under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). This matter came to light during the investigation of another money laundering case related to fraudulent acquisition of Defense Ministry land in Ranchi.
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