Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren

RANCHI: A special MP/MLA court on Saturday granted bail to chief minister Hemant Soren in a case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the alleged non-compliance with its summonses.Hemant’s advocate, Pradeep Chandra, said that, acting upon the Jharkhand high court’s order, the CM appeared before the court. He added that chief minister Hemant Soren furnished two bail bonds of Rs 7,000 each before the court.“According to the HC order, the CM would not have to appear in the hearings of the case in future except after specific orders. The next hearing is on December 12,” Chandra said.The ED filed a petition claiming that the CM did not appear in eight out of 10 summonses issued to him in connection with the Bargai land scam and money laundering case.Notably, the MP/MLA court on Nov 28 directed the CM to appear before it on Dec 12. The order was issued after the ED filed a petition before the court, stating that the HC’s stay order on the CM’s personal appearance had been vacated.Meanwhile, in another hearing on Wednesday, the HC asked the CM to appear before the MP/MLA court around 2 pm on Saturday, while exempting him from future appearances, provided he is represented by his advocate.The HC, however, said if the MP/MLA court feels there is a necessity for his personal appearance for an unavoidable purpose, then it may pass a specific order in this regard.The CM arrived at the court around 2 pm and completed the formalities within minutes before leaving.Senior govt officials, including SSP Rakesh Ranjan, SDO Utkarsh Kumar, and around 150 jawans, comprising district police, Jharkhand Armed Police, Indian Reserve Battalion, and special commandos, were deployed on the court premises for the CM’s security.