A Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Ranchi has rejected Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s discharge application in a money laundering case arising out of the alleged fraudulent acquisition of 8.86 acres of land in Ranchi’s Badgai area.
Additional Judicial Commissioner Yogesh Kumar held on Monday that sufficient prima facie material existed on record to warrant continuation of the criminal proceedings and that the matter should proceed to trial.
Soren had moved the discharge application in December 2025, contending that the allegations levelled against him were baseless and unsupported by credible evidence. He argued that he had been unnecessarily implicated in the prosecution and that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had failed to produce material capable of justifying his prosecution under the provisions of PMLA.
Opposing the plea, the ED submitted that the investigation had yielded adequate documentary evidence and other materials linking the accused to the alleged offence of money laundering. The agency maintained that the prosecution complaint and accompanying records disclosed sufficient grounds for framing charges and conducting a full-fledged trial.
Accepting the ED’s submissions at this preliminary stage, the Special Court observed that the material collected during the investigation could not be disregarded while considering a discharge application. The Court held that the prosecution records were sufficient for the limited purpose of determining the existence of a prima facie case and that the evidence disclosed more than mere suspicion against the accused.
The Court further observed that discharge jurisprudence generally favoured continuation of prosecution where the cumulative circumstances create a reasonable suspicion requiring judicial examination during trial. It noted that issues relating to the credibility of witnesses, admissibility of evidence and the defence put forward by the accused would have to be assessed during the evidentiary stage and not while deciding a discharge application.
The case pertains to alleged money laundering involving 8.86 acres of land situated in Ranchi’s Badgai locality. The Enforcement Directorate has been investigating the matter under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and has conducted multiple searches and examinations during the course of the investigation.
The ED has filed a prosecution complaint against around 18 accused persons, including Hemant Soren. Several individuals, including land dealers and other alleged beneficiaries, were arrested during the investigation.
Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on January 31, 2024, following questioning in the case. He remained in custody until June 28, 2024, when the Jharkhand High Court granted him bail. While granting bail, the High Court had made a prima facie observation that there were no reasonable grounds at that stage to believe that Soren was guilty of the alleged offence.
Prior to his arrest, Soren had resigned as Chief Minister. He subsequently returned to office after the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-Congress alliance secured victory in the 2024 Assembly elections.
With the rejection of the discharge application, the Special Court has cleared the way for the next stage of proceedings, including consideration of framing of charges against the accused in the alleged land-linked money laundering case.
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