'Serious Matter': Jharkhand HC Sends Notice to CM Soren for Owning Mining Lease

The petition alleged that he got the lease allegedly by misusing his position as Minister for Department of Mines.

The petition alleged that he got the lease allegedly by misusing his position as the Minister for Department of Mines.

(Photo: Facebook/ @HemantSorenJMM)

Jharkhand High Court on Friday, 8 April, issued a notice to Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren seeking his reply on a petition filed against him for owning a mining lease in Ranchi district's Angara block, reported news agency ANI.

The petition alleged that he got the lease allegedly by misusing his position as the Minister for Department of Mines.

Stating that the matter is "serious", a bench comprising Chief Justice Ravi Ranjan and Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad observed that the incident showed the pathetic state of affairs in the state's Mines Department.

'State Has Made a Mistake': Advocate General Ranjan

Admitting that the state has made a "mistake" and the lease was "surrendered", Advocate General Rajiv Ranjan said that the state will file a detailed counter affidavit in the case

Meanwhile, advocate Rajeev Kumar, who had filed the petition of behalf of a man named Shiv Shankar Sharma has filed an interlocutory application to ensure his safety.

He reportedly alleged that Ranchi Deputy Commissioner Chhavi Ranjan told him that some people had planned to "kill him by hiring contractors and destroy his property" as he had filed the petition, reported The Indian Express.

Responding to the allegation, Advocate General Ranjan said, it had been filed to "scandalise the situation".

Background

In February, Shiv Shankar Sharma had filed a petition on the CM obtaining stone chips mining lease in Ranchi in 2021.

The petition said that the High Court, had been approached so that it issues an "appropriate direction to prosecute the Chief Minister Soren, who is the Minister of Department of Mines". CM Soren misused his office for getting the lease in his name, the petition alleged.

On 16 June 2021, the District Mining Office issued a Letter of Intent for obtaining the lease of 0.88 acre of area in Angara block of Ranchi. Later on 9 September, the CM reportedly applied for environmental clearance of the same, the petition said adding that on 18 September, the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority gave the clearance.

It has to be noted that CM Soren also holds the Environment and Forests Department.

(With inputs from ANI, The Indian Express.)