Special PMLA Court in Ranchi FRAMES CHARGES Against Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren in 8.86-Acre Bargai Land Money-Laundering Case

SETBACK FOR HEMANT SOREN: Trial Begins As PMLA Court Frames Charges in Bargai Land Scam, CM Appears Via Video Conferencing

Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren To Face Trial: PMLA Court Frames Charges In Bargain Land Case, ED Alleges Forged Records

In a major setback for Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, a special PMLA court in Ranchi on Wednesday framed charges against him in the alleged 8.86-acre Bargai (Bargain) land fraud money laundering case, paving the way for the trial to begin.

Soren appeared before the court through video conferencing. The court has now put the matter for trial and will proceed with examination of witnesses.

The case centres on allegations that Soren abused his position as Chief Minister to unlawfully acquire land in Ranchi’s Bargai area. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had alleged that forged official records were used to alter ownership details and that fake sellers and purchasers were involved in the transactions.

Soren was arrested by the ED in January 2024 in connection with the land case and was granted bail by the Jharkhand High Court in June 2024.

The charge-framing proceedings had been deferred on September 24 after Soren’s counsel sought time to examine a list of unverified documents supplied by the ED. The court had subsequently fixed September 30 for the proceedings.

Earlier, the PMLA court had already framed charges against several other accused in the case, all of whom pleaded not guilty. The special PMLA court has already framed charges against 16 other accused in the case.

Meanwhile, the Jharkhand High Court on Wednesday refused to stay the framing of charges against Soren. A division bench of Chief Justice M.S. Sonak and Justice Manoj Prasad directed the ED to file a supplementary affidavit and scheduled the next hearing for October 28.