Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren orders preliminary enquiry against five BJP leaders in corruption case

Jharkhand, Nov 14, 2022: On Monday, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren ordered the Cabinet Vigilance Department to carry out preliminary enquiries against five BJP leaders, four of whom are sitting MLAs and had occupied cabinet posts in the past, for allegedly possessing assets from other than known sources of income.

The five BJP leaders include current BJP MLAs Amar Kumar Bauri from Chandankyari, Neera Yadav from Koderma, Randhir Singh from Sarath, and Neelkanth Singh Munda from Khunti. Meanwhile, Louis Marandi is a former MLA from Dumka.

Previously, CM Hemant Soren had directed an inquiry by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) against Bauri, Yadav, Munda, Singh, and Marandi, who were all ex-ministers when Raghubar Das was in power.

The Information and Public Relations Department issued a press release which stated that the matter was in relation to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) which had been filed in the Jharkhand High Court in 2020 in addition to a simultaneous complaint made to the Cabinet Vigilance Department following which the ACB was asked to check the accuracy of the same.

“The Anti-Corruption Bureau has confirmed all five former ministers (of the BJP) of having disproportionate assets,” the press release said. It also said the objective of the preliminary inquiry is to decide whether ‘in the interest of justice’, the matter should be looked into.