Jharkhand: More Trouble For CM Soren As Governor Set To Examine EC Report On His Mining Lease Case, Says 'Those Found Guilty, Will Face Consequences'

On Monday (12 December), Jharkhand Governor C P Radhakrishnan stated that Raj Bhavan is reviewing the Election Commission's (EC) report concerning an office-of-profit case against Chief Minister Hemant Soren.

The case involves the extension of a stone mining lease to CM Soren, with the Election Commission sending its recommendation in August of the previous year.

Addressing the media after the Centre's Viksit Bharat programme at Raj Bhawan, the Governor emphasised that individuals found guilty of wrongdoing will face consequences.

It's noteworthy that on 10 February of the previous year, a BJP delegation, led by former chief minister Raghubar Das, met then-Governor Ramesh Bais, presenting a memorandum seeking the disqualification and removal of CM Soren.

The allegations centred on the violation of constitutional provisions under Section 9A of The Representation of the People Act, 1951.

The BJP delegation accused Soren, who was heading the mining department, of allocating a stone chips mining lease to himself in 2021, breaching office of profit norms.

Governor Bais forwarded the documents related to the matter to the Election Commission for its opinion, a response received on 25 August.

Despite the passage of time, the Election Commission's recommendation from August last year has not been disclosed by either the then-governor Ramesh Bais or the current Governor C P Radhakrishnan.

According to Radhakrishnan, "there are certain difficulties. We have to go through that, and we will."