ED Officials Move Jharkhand High Court Against FIR On Hemant Soren's Complaint Under SC/ST Act

The FIR, which was lodged on Wednesday by the Jharkhand Police under the SC/ST Act at the SC/ST police station in Ranchi, is based on a complaint by Soren concerning searches conducted by the ED at his Delhi residence.

The FIR filed by the Jharkhand Police under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 (SC/ST Act), accused senior ED officials of various offenses related to the search conducted at Soren's residence in Delhi.

The FIR lists ED Additional Director Kapil Raj, Assistant Director Deovrat Jha, and two other officials, Anuman Kumar and Aman Patel, along with unnamed officials.

The FIR invokes sections of the SC/ST Act, including 3(1) (p) [instituting false, malicious or vexatious legal proceedings], (r) [intentional insult or intimidation within public law], (s) [abusing by caste name in any place within public view], and (u) [promoting feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will].

Hemant Soren, in his complaint, alleged that the ED's search operation at his Delhi residence was conducted with the intention to harass and malign him and his community. He further claimed that ED officials had strategically leaked information to the media to create a spectacle, aiming to tarnish his reputation in the eyes of the public.

In a parallel development, the Jharkhand High Court has adjourned till February 12, hearing in the petition filed by the former Jharkhand Chief Minister, challenging his arrest by the Directorate of Enforcement for alleged involvement in a significant land scam.

While doing so, the division bench consisting of Acting Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Rajesh Kumar permitted Soren to withdraw his application seeking to withdraw the petition and asked ED to file its response by February 9, to the application for amendment of petition moved by the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader.