The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached 8.86 acres of land in Ranchi allegedly owned by former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren as part of a money laundering investigation against him and his associates, the federal agency said on Thursday.
Union Coal Minister Shibu Soren was on Tuesday night lodged in Tihar jail soon after he was convicted by a Delhi court in a murder case.
On August 18, the court will hand over police papers under CrPC section 207/208 to Soren and another accused Nathinial, who is already in jail for his alleged involvement in the same case.
Jharkhand Mukthi Morcha leader, Shibu Soren, who heads a 44-member coalition in Jharkhand, will be sworn in on December 30 after Governor K Sankarananaryanan invited him to form the government.
Jharkhand Mukthi Morcha chief Shibu Soren was on Wednesday sworn in as chief minister of Jharkhand for the third time, along with two ministers from coalition partners, ending almost a year-long spell of President's rule in the state.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday withdrew support to the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led government in Jharkhand, where the two parties ran a coalition government, after Chief Minister Shibu Soren shocked the BJP by voting for the United Progressive Alliance in Parliament on Tuesday.Earlier, Soren's son Hemant had claimed that his father voted for the UPA by mistake."The voting in favour of the UPA by Soren is an act of betrayal," said BJP leaders.
A non-bailable arrest warrant had been issued by the Jamtara court against Soren in connection with the 1975 Chirrudih massacre case.
"The BJP and AJSU have agreed to support the JMM under the leadership of Guruji (Soren)," party Vice-President Hemlal Murmu told media persons hours after JMM legislature party elected Soren as its leader and authorised him to explore government formation. JMM has 18 MLAs, same as that of BJP, and AJSU has five members in the 81-member House. If BJP's ally Janata Dal-United with two MLAs also back JMM's bid to form government, its strength will go up to 43.
Justice was delayed, but not denied, says elated party leaders
A local court acquitted former Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren in the 1974 Kudko double murder case for lack of evidence on Tuesday.
Frustrated over the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha backtracking on its power-sharing deal in Jharkhand, the Bharatiya Janata Party has decided to withdraw support to the Shibu Soren government on Monday that it will plunge the state into another spell of political crisis.
On Friday, the JMM chief appeared before mediapersons and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of hatching a conspiracy to create a Gujarat-like situation in Jharkhand before the assembly elections by digging out a 30-year-old case against him.
Treading cautiously, Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren on Monday said he was not against using force to curb Naxalism, but maintained that if the solution lay in talks then there was no need for a "confrontation".
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha chief Shibu Soren on Tuesday staked claim for the chief ministership of Jharkhand, demanding that the incumbent Madhu Koda should quit soon, failing which support to the state government will be withdrawn."The decision regarding making me Jharkhand chief minister was taken long back but it is getting delayed. Hence, we arrived at the decision to withdraw support from the Koda government if he does not resign now," said Soren.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, which had once dubbed Jharkhand Mukti Morcha supremo Shibu Soren as 'tainted', on Wednesday saw nothing wrong in making him the chief minister of Jharkhand, saying it was a strategy to thwart attempts to break up parties or continue with President's Rule in the state. Newly-appointed BJP chief Nitin Gadkari said his party would support the JMM for five years. But he evaded a query on what the BJP will do the Supreme Court rules against Soren.
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha supremo Shibu Soren is all set to become the Jharkhand chief minister with the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Janata Dal (United) and the All Jharkhand Students Union.
The Jail authorities on Wednesday allotted the qaidi ticket (convict number) to the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha chief, a highly placed jail official told UNI.
Following the footsteps of the MNS chief's call for 'Marathi pride', Soren publicly claimed on Sunday that Jharkhand remained the sole preserve of adivasis (tribals) and Moolvasis (original settlers).
In his letter, Soren conceded that his support to the UPA government during the cut motion moved by the Opposition was a mistake. He pleaded with Swaraj for justice for the people of Jharkhand.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren will have to face a united and determined Opposition when he decides to contest a by-election to become a member of the Legislative Assembly, as all Opposition parties have decided to put up a consensus candidate against him, Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Pradip Kumar Balmuchu said on Monday.In order to retain the chief ministership, Soren must be elected to the assembly as a Member of Legislative Assembly.
Jharkhand Governor K Sankarananaryanan has invited JMM chief Shibu Soren on December 30 to form the new government in the state.
There are reports that Jharkhand Mukti Morcha chief Shibu Soren may meet the Haryana governor on Friday to discuss the formation of the new government in the state.
No combination on Friday appeared to be in a position to stake claim to form a government in Jharkhand, a day after elections produced a hung Assembly, though 'king maker' and JMM chief Shibu Soren made it clear he wants to be chief minister.
"This is wrong. It is about the United Progressive Alliance and not about having cases against you. It is not about who is tainted or not. Ask (Railway Minister) Lalu Prasad Yadav. Doesn't he have cases against him?" Soren, MP from Dhumka in Jharkhand, told reporters. His remarks came when reporters sought his reaction about his non-induction in the Cabinet.
Shibu Soren's hopes of making a comeback as Jharkhand chief minister by replacing incumbent Madhu Koda received a boost today with the Rashtriya Janata Dal assuring the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha supremo of its support. Soren said after his meeting with RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav in Delhi that the railway minister had not only promised his party's backing, but also assured him help in securing the support of independents.
The Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate of Jamtara district on Saturday had issued the warrant in the name of Soren and nine others in connection with the killing of 11 persons in Chirrudih in 1975.
JMM has called for observing 'black day' in Ranchi following the sentencing of Shibu Soren.
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha Legislative Party leader Hemant Soren on Thursday submitted his resignation letter as an MLA to his father Shibu Soren and offered his Dumka seat to the Jharkhand chief minister to contest and enter the state assembly.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday put on hold its decision to withdraw support to Shibu Soren government in Jharkhand and appears to have made up its mind to heading a government weighing the pros and cons of having a non-tribal chief minister.
The court also fixed January 16 as the next date for the his appearance in connection with the 1975 Chirrudih massacre case.
As Shibu Soren hopes for yet another innings as Jharkhand chief minister, the family of his slain ex-secretary said on Saturday that the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha chief should not be allowed to take up the job as the appeal against his acquittal in the murder case was pending before the Supreme Court.
Which way the JMM swing? The JMM's parliamentary board will meet later today to decide its crucial stand on the July 22 trust vote. Though the party's chief whip Teklal Mahato said he would vote for the United Progressive Alliance, sources a final decision was yet to be taken.
The BJP on Monday withdrew its support to the nearly five-month-old JMM-led government in Jharkhand reducing it to a minority, following which Chief Minister Shibu Soren was asked by the Governor to prove his majority on the floor of the Assembly by May 31.
"I will definitely contest the elections," Soren said after meeting Congress party's in charge of Jharkhand Ajay Maken in New Delhi. The JMM chief was replying to a query on whether he would contest from Jamtara seat vacated for him by a rebel BJP MLA. Jamtara MLA Vishnu Bhaiyya resigned earlier in the day to pave the way for Soren to contest from there.
A Delhi court had, on December 26, 2006, convicted Soren and four others for abduction and murder of Jha.
Apparently apprehending arrest, the JMM MP had on Monday applied for leave to Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee citing personal reasons.
A Jharkhand court on Monday directed Chief Minister Shibu Soren to appear before it on February 3 in connection with a 35-year-old double murder case. Soren, who will seek a trust vote in the Jharkhand assembly on January 7, is the sole accused in the case, in which eight others were acquitted in 1986. Soren was made one of the accused in the double murder case which had occurred on April 15, 1974 over the killing of a goat at Kudko under Pirtand police station in Giridih.
Shibu Soren, who is all set to become the next chief minister of Jharkhand, on Monday said the new alliance comprising Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Bharatiya Janata Party and the All Jharkhand Students Union will provide a stable government in the mineral-rich state."Jharkhand needs a stable government and we are confident of providing one," the JMM chief said at a joint press conference with BJP president Nitin Gadkari.Soren said he was aware of the functioning of Gadkari.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren on Thursday lost in the Tamar assembly by-poll by over 9,000 votes to Gopal Krishna Patar, his rival from the Jharkhand Party candidate.The by-poll was held on January 3 and the counting was taken up today.The Jhrakhand Mukti Morcha chief is likely to lose his chief ministerial seat.