As CM Soren fights corruption charges, Jharkhand governor meets home minister Amit Shah

Notably, the governor has already sent a communication in this regard to the Election Commission of India asking it to examine if Soren’s actions could lead to him being disqualified as an elected candidate of the legislative assembly.

The BJP has alleged that Soren allotted a mining lease to himself and a plot to his wife while holding charge of the mining department.

Senior BJP leader and former Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das on Monday alleged that Soren’s wife Kalpana got 11 acres of land in Ranchi’s Bijupara industrial area at a time when the CM himself holds the industries portfolio. Das also alleged that Soren’s political representative Pankaj Mishra and press advisor Abhishek Prasad used their positions to get mining leases.

Earlier this year, Das had released documents which stated that Soren had obtained a mining lease in Ranchi area and a Letter of Intent had been issued in June last year. It also stated that in September, the CM had obtained environmental clearance for the same. Incidentally, Soren also holds charge of the environment and forests department.

The matter is also being heard in the Jharkhand High Court, where a petition has been filed. During a hearing on April 8, the day the poll panel wrote to the state government, Advocate General Rajiv Ranjan said the state had committed “a mistake” and the lease has since been surrendered. However, the court asked for a detailed affidavit.

Following the governor’s communication, the Election Commission sent a letter to the Jharkhand chief secretary seeking details. In its letter, which was received on April 18, the ECI said, “…that the commission requires the following documents to formulate its opinion for the purpose of Article 192 of the Constitution in respect of lease granted to him…of 0.88 acres land.”

Article 192 deals with “decision on questions” related to disqualification of assembly members and operates only when the governor seeks an opinion from the poll panel with respect to Article 191, which states the ground for disqualification such as for holding office for profit, being in an unsound mind, under 10th Schedule, or under any law of Parliament. “Before giving any decision on any such question, the governor shall obtain the opinion of the Election Commission and shall act according to such opinion,” Article 192 says.