The Supreme Court today asked the Jharkhand High Court to stick to its decision to hear preliminary objections on the maintainability of PIL, which it is hearing, seeking investigation against CM Hemant Soren and into transactions, of some shell companies operated by his family members and associates into the alleged irregularities in grant of mining leases.

A vacation bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Bela M Trivedi noted that the Jharkhand High Court has itself in its order of May 13 said it would first decide the maintainability of the PIL by one Shiv Kumar Sharma and then it will go into the merit of the allegations leveller in his petition.

“We are of the considered view that the JHC would first deal with the preliminary objections and maintainability of the writ petition and then proceed further in accordance with the laws”, the Bench said.

Notably, the SC also made it clear that it has not made any objection with regard to the merit of the case and has not dealt with the allegations made in the petition.

Incidentally, though the Jharkhand government had moved the top court against the order of the JHC, the bench clearly left the JHC to take the hearing forward as per its own jurisprudence.