New Delhi, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Wednesday challenged the Lokpal order in the Delhi High Court, in which the CBI was directed to investigate two properties in the name of the party.
Justice Subramaniam Prasad said that he will hear the case on April 23.
Petitioner JMM, represented through senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Arunabh Chaudhary, challenged the March 4 order of the Lokpal of India, which was passed on a complaint filed by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey against Rajya Sabha M Shibu Soren.
“Prima facie, this is a wrong order,” the senior lawyer said.
The Anti-Corruption Ombudsman has directed the CBI to investigate within six months the alleged benami properties linked to JMM chief Shibu Soren.
The Lokpal, which has also directed the CBI to investigate two properties belonging to JMM, passed the direction while disposing of an August 5, 2020 complaint by Dubey, who represents Jharkhand's Godda constituency in the Lok Sabha.The petition, filed in the high court through advocate Abhishek Roy, said the Lokpal order was prima facie bad in law and without jurisdiction and was passed behind the back of JMM and was outside the purview of the anti-corruption Lokpal. was out.
It said no notice was issued to JMM before passing the order and it was given an opportunity of being heard.
In his complaint to the Lokpal, Dubey had said that Soren and his family members were involved in large-scale corruption and by adopting dishonest and corrupt methods, amassed huge wealth, assets in their names and disproportionate to the known and declared sources of income. of. Names of his family members, friends, associates and various companies in different districts of Jharkhand, including Ranchi, Dhanbad and Dumka.
The Lokpal has also asked the CBI to inform it about the progress of the investigation by sending monthly reports.Furthermore, the Lokpal has also said that the two properties were in the name of JMM, the political party founded by Soren, and were purchased through him in 2014.
"JMM is controlled and run by the RPS (respondent public servant, i.e. Shibu Soren) and his family members, who wield enormous political influence," it said.
The party appears to be virtually a family affair, with RPS and several of his family members holding important political positions. Lokpal had said that being the president of JMM, RPS is actively involved in its decisions and transactions.
“In the light of the material available on record, without casting any aspersions on JMM as a political party with which we have nothing to do in this matter, we are of the view that RPS has a role in the acquisition of these two.“The properties in the name of JMM should be investigated,” it was said in the MARC order.
The Ombudsman has said that considering the nature of the allegations and the number of assets revealed in the preliminary investigation report, Soren was at the center of the issues, it would fail in its statutory duty if the sources of funds were used. The purchases of these properties are not thoroughly scrutinized.
The complaint said Soren and his son, former Jharkhand chief minister Heman Soren, have invested heavily in various companies owned by Amit Agarwal, who is their close friend, and his family members.
Justice Subramaniam Prasad said that he will hear the case on April 23.
Petitioner JMM, represented through senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Arunabh Chaudhary, challenged the March 4 order of the Lokpal of India, which was passed on a complaint filed by BJP MP Nishikant Dubey against Rajya Sabha M Shibu Soren.
“Prima facie, this is a wrong order,” the senior lawyer said.
The Anti-Corruption Ombudsman has directed the CBI to investigate within six months the alleged benami properties linked to JMM chief Shibu Soren.
The Lokpal, which has also directed the CBI to investigate two properties belonging to JMM, passed the direction while disposing of an August 5, 2020 complaint by Dubey, who represents Jharkhand's Godda constituency in the Lok Sabha.The petition, filed in the high court through advocate Abhishek Roy, said the Lokpal order was prima facie bad in law and without jurisdiction and was passed behind the back of JMM and was outside the purview of the anti-corruption Lokpal. was out.
It said no notice was issued to JMM before passing the order and it was given an opportunity of being heard.
In his complaint to the Lokpal, Dubey had said that Soren and his family members were involved in large-scale corruption and by adopting dishonest and corrupt methods, amassed huge wealth, assets in their names and disproportionate to the known and declared sources of income. of. Names of his family members, friends, associates and various companies in different districts of Jharkhand, including Ranchi, Dhanbad and Dumka.
The Lokpal has also asked the CBI to inform it about the progress of the investigation by sending monthly reports.Furthermore, the Lokpal has also said that the two properties were in the name of JMM, the political party founded by Soren, and were purchased through him in 2014.
"JMM is controlled and run by the RPS (respondent public servant, i.e. Shibu Soren) and his family members, who wield enormous political influence," it said.
The party appears to be virtually a family affair, with RPS and several of his family members holding important political positions. Lokpal had said that being the president of JMM, RPS is actively involved in its decisions and transactions.
“In the light of the material available on record, without casting any aspersions on JMM as a political party with which we have nothing to do in this matter, we are of the view that RPS has a role in the acquisition of these two.“The properties in the name of JMM should be investigated,” it was said in the MARC order.
The Ombudsman has said that considering the nature of the allegations and the number of assets revealed in the preliminary investigation report, Soren was at the center of the issues, it would fail in its statutory duty if the sources of funds were used. The purchases of these properties are not thoroughly scrutinized.
The complaint said Soren and his son, former Jharkhand chief minister Heman Soren, have invested heavily in various companies owned by Amit Agarwal, who is their close friend, and his family members.
