On Saturday, January 20, the Enforcement Directorate detectives started interviewing Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren at his official Ranchi house about the suspected land fraud. Notably, he had requested that the agency question him at home in response to the agency’s seventh summons in the matter.
Under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, the ED is looking into allegations of money laundering connected to a land fraud (PMLA).
The changes in the purported land scam case
The Enforcement Directorate claims that the probe is related to a “massive mafia-run scheme of illegal land ownership changes” in Jharkhand. The illegal acquisition and sale of 4.55 acres of Ranchi land under military administration is the subject of an investigation by ED officials.
An official statement stated that the ED had initiated an investigation into three land fraud cases. The investigation was based on multiple First Information Reports that the West Bengal and Jharkhand Police had filed under various Indian Penal Code sections against Pradip Bagchi, Bishnu Kumar Agarwal, Bhanu Pratap Prasad, and other individuals.
In Jharkhand, there are claims of a vast mafia network that fraudulently changed land ownership. “These criminal elements used to forge the legacy records in Ranchi and Kolkata,” according to the government announcement. It was also found that dishonest government workers had created fake land ownership documents in order to gain favour with the aforementioned land mafia.
Thus far, in this investigation, about 14 people have been taken into custody, among them Bhanu Pratap Prasad, the Revenue Deputy Inspector for Ranchi’s Badgai area.
The ED confiscated numerous suspicious documents from Prasad’s mobile phone and a sizable quantity of official documents during a raid on his home. Through questioning the Chief Minister, the ED is conducting investigations and confirming the veracity of the documents and related information. Regarding the matter, the agency has carried out over 40 searches and over 5 surveys.
Meanwhile, ED officers attached three Ranchi plots on September 1, 2023, valued at more than Rs 161.64 crore. It is believed that these land lots were fraudulently changed with the assistance of Land Revenue Department employees to benefit land mafias. This was the case’s second attachment, bringing the total value of the assets attached to an astounding Rs 236 crore.
The ED also submitted a second chargesheet in the case in September. On June 12, 2023, the first prosecution complaint was filed. During questioning, Vishnu Aggarwal, the director of Nucleus Mall, allegedly revealed Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s identity.
Cases against Jharkhand CM in other courts
He was questioned by ED officers for around nine and a half hours in November 2022 on an alleged case involving illicit mining. In connection with the matter, ED had detained two of his close aides prior to his interrogation by the agency. At the time, the Enforcement Department asserted that it had “identified” revenues from crime totaling Rs 1,000 crore that were connected to illicit stone mining in the state.
It is claimed that he gave himself a mining leasing deal while managing the Mining Minister’s portfolio. Advocate General Rajiv Ranjan, representing the state administration, called it a “mistake” and informed the court that it had been “surrendered” during a hearing before the Jharkhand High Court.
Previously, he had turned down seven summonses to appear before ED officials.
In this matter, the ED has summoned the Jharkhand CM eight times since August of last year. It is significant to remember that Soren had petitioned the Jharkhand High Court and the Supreme Court for relief in this particular matter. He petitioned both courts, arguing that the summonses were “unwarranted” and asking for protection from the ED action. Nevertheless, his pleas were denied by both courts.
The Chief Minister of Delhi is going in the same direction.
Arvind Kejriwal, the supremo of the Aam Aadmi Party and the chief minister of Delhi, has previously rejected three summonses from the ED and refused to cooperate with their inquiry. He has said that he is being victimised by the Centre by virtue of the ED’s misuse, and he has not done anything illegal in the liquor scam case. There are already rumours that he will forego the fourth summons that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) will issue on Thursday, January 18, because he has a three-day trip planned to Goa.
On January 13, the Enforcement Department (ED) sent Kejriwal a summons, requesting that he come before it as part of an investigation into money laundering charges pertaining to the Delhi excise policy case. He has previously claimed that the ED summonses are unlawful and a witch hunt, citing his hectic schedule from election campaigns and a yearly Vipassana session that is prearranged for ten days.
Afshar Ali, Saddam Hussain, Imtiaz Ahmed, Talha Khan, Faiyaaz Khan, Bhanu Pratap Prasad, 2011-batch IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan (former DC Ranchi), Dilip Kumar Ghosh, Amit Kumar Agarwal, Bishnu Kumar Agarwal, Rajesh Rai, Bharat Prasad, and Prem Prakash are among the notable fourteen accused who have been taken into custody in this case.
According to a previous report, businessman Vishnu Agarwal and Revenue Sub-Inspector of Bargain Circle Bhanu Pratap Prasad both identified the Chief Minister by name. The CM would be questioned over the Bariatu land. The ED is currently holding businessman Vishnu Agarwal due to allegations of money laundering in connection with the land fraud case.