By gaining Jharkhand High Court’s October 11 date for hearing his petition against Enforcement Directorate’s summons, Chief Minister Hemant Soren is in cheers. 

 “ We hope to get justice from the court”, said an aide considered close to the CM Soren. 

The petition filed by Hemant Soren challenging the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons will be heard in the Jharkhand High Court on October 11. 

On September 23, on behalf of the Chief Minister, his advocate had filed a petition in the Jharkhand High Court regarding this entire matter, after which some defects were found in the petition. However, after correcting errors,the petition was listed for hearing on October 6. 

Today, the court fixed October 11 as the date of hearing his petition. It is worth noting that in the money laundering linked with land scam case, ED had issued a total of five summons to the Chief Minister one after the other. 

These summons were challenged in the Supreme Court. After the top court directed him to approach the appropriate court for getting justice, Soren moved the Jharkhand High Court. 

Notably,the ED had issued fifth summon asking him to appear on October 4, the CM Soren declined. Now, even if the HC decides to reject his petition, he will have the option to move the SC again. 

This is possible since Chief Minister Hemant Soren did not reach the ED office. Only once Soren had followed ED’s summon and appeared before its officers in the first summons on August 14. 

Though he had earlier received ED’s other summons- for instance,second summons on August 24, the third summons on September 9, the fourth summons on September 24 and in the fifth summons on October 4- the Chief Minister did not appear and, instead moved the apex court contending that since he holds the constitutional post, the ED’s officials’s authority to summon him is “questionable”. 

But the ED argues that the summon was not issued to the CM. It was issued to Hemant Soren who has to be questioned in money laundering case of the land scam. 

Against this backdrop, one possibility is almost clear. The ED may not take punitive action against Hemant Soren till the legal battle between him and the ED is concluded by the higher judiciary.