Probe agency summons Hemant Soren for second round of questioning in land scam

The Enforcement Directorate has issued a fresh summons to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. The central agency has asked Soren to appear before it between January 27 and January 31 at the ED office.

Soren, 48, has been summoned for the second round of questioning under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) at the agency's regional office. On January 20, his statements were recorded by the agency in the first round of questioning at his residence.

The central agency had issued multiple summons to the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader in the past; however, he decided to skip them. The previous summons was sent to him on January 13, asking him to appear for questioning between January 16 and January 20. Soren then told the ED that it could record his statement on January 20 at his residence.

Soren had filed a petition before the Supreme Court and later the Jharkhand High Court seeking protection from the Enforcement Directorate action and terming the summons as "unwarranted". However, both the courts had dismissed his petition.