On Hemant Soren's Mining Lease To Himself, Poll Panel's Tough Question
NDTV
The Election Commission's move came after the Governor referred the case to the poll body following opposition's complaint. Mr Soren has been asked to submit his response by May 10.
The Election Commission has sent notice to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, asking that he explain why action should not be taken against him over allegations of the grant of mining license in Ranchi to himself in June 2021. The Commission's move came after the Governor referred the case to the poll body following opposition's complaint. Mr Soren -- who handles the mining portfolio -- has been asked to submit his response by May 10.
The mining lease apparently violates Section 9A of the Representation of the People Act, which deals with disqualification over government contracts. The opposition has claimed that Mr Soren is liable to be disqualified in terms of Article 191 (e) of the Constitution of India read with Section 9(A) of the Representation of Peoples Act, 1951, for acquiring the lease.
In a petition to the Governor Ramesh Bais, the ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha has claimed that that the lease does not attract Section 9 (A) of the Representation of Peoples Act. The opposition, the JMM claimed, is trying to "create an atmosphere of political turmoil in the state and destabilise the democratically elected Government".
"Stone mining does not constitute 'works undertaken by the Government'," the JMM said in the petition citing Supreme Court ruling in a similar case.
