Special PMLA court, Ranchi on Friday framed charges against Pankaj Mishra, MLA representative of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, and Bacchu Yadav in connection with illegal stone mining case worth over Rs 1,000 crore.
According to officials, the ED summons was issued to Yadav after it found during an investigation that Chief Minister Hemant Soren's aide Pankaj Mishra, who is currently under police custody, made several phone and video calls to the Sahibganj DC during July-October last year.
Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday arrested Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel's Deputy Secretary Saumya Chaurasia in connection with an illegal mining case.
A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Court in Ranchi on Saturday rejected the bail plea of Pankaj Mishra, the MLA representative of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who was arrested by ED in an illegal mining case.
Hours before Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren turned up before ED's zonal office, he released a letter written to ED's assistant director Deovrat Jha questioning the agency's claim.
Soren was summoned months after the Election Commission, in August, sent a report to Governor Ramesh Bais, recommending the CM's disqualification as a member of the state legislative assembly for allegedly holding a mining lease.
It is a conspiracy to oust the government, said Jharkhand Health Minister Banna Gupta on Wednesday after Enforcement Directorate's summoned Chief Minister Hemant Soren for questioning.
The ED had rejected Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren's request to prepone his questioning date to November 16 instead of November 17, which was earlier fixed in the agency's second summon, according to the sources.
Earlier on Wednesday conducted raids at Telangana minister Gangula Kamalakar's residence in Karimnagar in connection with a granite company involved in an alleged illegal mining case.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren was summoned by ED on Thursday for investigation over contravention of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and in a money laundering probe linked to an illegal mining case in the Sahebganj district.