Ranchi- The Jharkhand High Court on Thursday imposed a Rs 10,000 fine on Chief Minister Hemant Soren after his side sought additional time to file a response in a case challenging an FIR registered against Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Soren’s side had sought six weeks to submit the response. The court, however, expressed displeasure over the delay and granted only four weeks to file the reply. The next hearing has been scheduled for November 2.
The petition before the High Court was filed by former ED officials, including Kapil Raj and Devvrat Jha, seeking quashing of the FIR and subsequent proceedings initiated against them.
The FIR was registered by Soren at the SC/ST police station in Ranchi on January 31, 2024, shortly after the ED conducted searches linked to its investigation involving him.
Soren had alleged that the manner in which the ED carried out searches at his Delhi residence and the publicity surrounding the operation had humiliated and defamed him. He also alleged that the actions amounted to an insult to him as a member of a Scheduled Tribe and demeaned the tribal community he represents.
The FIR named ED officials including Kapil Raj, Devvrat Jha and Anupam Kumar, among others. Following the registration of the case, Ranchi Police issued notices to the officials under Section 41A of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
The ED officials subsequently approached the Jharkhand High Court, challenging the FIR and seeking its quashing along with relief from further investigation and proceedings arising from it. The High Court had earlier stayed the police notices and related action against the officials while seeking the state government’s response.
The issue of delay in filing Soren’s response has come up previously as well. During a hearing in April 2026, the court had imposed a monetary penalty after additional time was sought for filing the reply.
The latest order concerns the procedural progress of the case and does not determine whether the FIR against the ED officials will ultimately be quashed. The court is expected to consider the parties’ submissions after Soren’s response is placed on record.
The case dates back to the period when the ED was investigating allegations against Soren in connection with a money-laundering probe. The legal proceedings arising from the FIR against the agency’s officials have continued separately before the High Court.
–IANS