The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren for questioning on December 12, sources said. Soren, who is also the leader of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), has been asked to appear before the agency in connection with its money laundering case.This is for the sixth time, the ED has summoned Soren for questioning. Soren had earlier skipped all summons by the financial probe agency.The ED had issued summons to Soren on August 8, 19 and September 1 asking him to appear before it on August 14, 24 and September 9, respectively. After that the ED issued the fourth summons and asked him to appear before them on September 23. The fifth summons asked him to appear before it on October 4.
Hemant Soren had filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the summons issued against him and said that the case against him is a clear case of abuse of law by the Central Government and misuse of the Central agencies to destabilize the democratically elected Government of the State of Jharkhand of which he is the Chief Minister. Soren was summoned by the ED in mid-August in connection with a land 'scam' case. However, the CM ignored the summons claiming that he was busy with the state's Independence Day celebrations.He was asked again to appear on August 24 and September 9 but he skipped the summonses citing preoccupations.The agency then issued its fourth summons to the Jharkhand CM, asking him to report to the agency on September 23. The CM had earlier threatened to move for legal proceedings against the Centre if it did not withdraw the summonses issued against him. In his letter to the agency, Soren said he had provided all necessary documents and information to the ED. He wrote that if the ED needed any information, it could refer to the documents that he had already shared with the agency. However, he alleged that the ED summoned him on August 14, at the behest of its "political masters".