The Delhi High Court has stayed the proceedings against Jharkhand Mukti Morch (JMM) chief and Rajya Sabha MP Shibu Soren in a disproportionate assets case by the Lokpal.
The single-judge bench of Justice Yashwant Varma has stayed the proceedings while issuing a notice to Lokpal and the BJP MP Nishikant Dubey in the same.
The petition has been filed through advocates Pallavi Langar and Vaibhav Tomar and argued by Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal
The Lokpal as well as the BJP MP Nishikant Dubey were directed by the court to file their responses before the case is taken up on December 14.
Soren has approached the court for challenging the proceedings before Lokpal which were initiated to determine whether a prima facie case exists to proceed against him.
The plea said that the objections by Soren were not considered order was passed .The objection by Soren was that no inquiry can be conducted as the complaint was filed more than seven years after the alleged incident took place. Also under the Section 53 of the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act 2013 such investigation after expiry of the limitation period are barred.
The plea further says that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) commenced its preliminary enquiry sometime in July 2021 against Soren and his family, but till February 2022, no copy of the complaint was provided to the Petitioner.
Soren has also challenged the Lokpal’s order of September 2020 through which the Lokpal directed CBI to conduct a preliminary inquiry against Soren and submit a report.
It is alleged that Soren in a period of more than 10 years amassed huge wealth, properties and assets by adopting unscrupulous and corrupt means in the State of Jharkhand which he has taken in names of his family members including sons, daughters, daughter-in-law, friends.
He has also held companies in various districts of Jharkhand, such as Ranchi, Dhanbad and Dumka etc.
The JMM patriarch has termed the allegations as false and an attempt to malign his image.
The plea said “No instance of even a single specific purported act of corruption is alleged in the Complaint. The Complaint is devoid of any particulars whatsoever and is a rambling yarn spun by the Respondent No.2, (Nishikant Dubey) a disgruntled and unsuccessful political opponent of the Petitioner and his party which has formed the Government in the State of Jharkhand pursuant to the Assembly elections held in 2019,