Today when Sahebgunj Deputy Commissioner Ramniwas Yadav was summoned along with Press Advisor to CM, Abhisheikh Prasad on January 11 and January 16 respectively by the Enforcement Directorate, Chief Secretary L Khiyangte sent a letter to the central agency seeking information about the cases in which they were summoned. 

This move of Jharkhand CS has put a break on the ED’s “summons” and thereby made it clear that they will not appear for interrogations in the money laundering linked mining and land scam cases on the above-mentioned dates.

In fact, since ED has not registered any FIR against them, the CS has sought to know what is the allegation on the basis of which they were summoned. 

Now, the ball is on the shoulder of the EC to clarify its stand before questioning them inside their office in Ranchi on the above dates. 

Notably, the DGP, sometime back, had written a similar letter to the ED when the central agency summoned two DSPs, Pramod Mishra and Rajendra Dubey, posted in Sahibganj in the illegal mining case. 

Notably, while probing the Rs 1250 crore illegal mining scam in Sahibganj, the ED had raided DC Ram Niwas Yadav and CM’s Press Advisor Abhisheikh's premises and recovered Rs 7.25 lakh and 19 cartridges of .9 mm bore and documents/ digital devices respectively. 

The CS’s letter has its own roots. He derives authority from the decision of the State cabinet, on January 9. 

As per its decision, the state cabinet had approved guidelines for government officials to comply with the summons/notices received from the investigating agencies outside the State (read ED/CBI). In accordance with the Cabinet-approved rules, the state government officials were protected from ED’s summon. 

The state government officials, as per the Hemant Soren government, central agency can not summon them without obtaining approval from the state government.