Prerna Gala
Published on: 12 September 2022 at 20:38 IST
In the disproportionate assets case, the Delhi High Court has suspended the Lokpal proceedings against JMM leader Shibu Soren.
In a case involving disproportionate assets (Shibu Soren v. Lokpal of India & Anr), the Delhi High Court on Monday stayed Lokpal of India’s proceedings against Jharkhand Mukti Morch (JMM) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Shibu Soren. Single-judge Justice Yashwant Varma issued notice to the Lokpal as well as BJP MP Nishikant Dubey.
When the matter is next heard on December 14, the court has ordered them to submit their reply by that date.
Soren has asked the court to contest the actions taken by Lokpal and its orders from August 4, 2022, which mandated the initiation of proceedings to see if there was enough evidence to move forward against him.
The complaint was lodged more than seven years after the alleged incident, and Section 53 of the Lokpal and Lokayukta Act 2013 prohibits such investigations after the statute of limitations has expired. The plea contended that this order was made without taking Soren’s objection into account.
The petition further stated that although the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) started an initial investigation into Soren, his wife, and their children sometime in July 2021, no copy of the complaint was given to the petitioner until the end of February 2022. This is because Lokpal proceedings were initiated in response to a complaint dated August 5, 2020.
Soren has also contested Lokpal’s order from September 2020, which instructed the CBI to launch an initial investigation into Soren and submit a report.
According to the accusations made against Soren, he gained an enormous fortune, properties, and assets over a period of more than ten years in the state of Jharkhand by using dishonest and corrupt methods.
It is claimed that the assets are not only in his name but also in the names of his family members, friends, and various companies located in different districts of Jharkhand, such as Ranchi, Dhanbad, and Dumka, among others. The court ordered a preliminary investigation to be carried out after taking cognizance of the complaint.
The patriarch of the JMM has called Nishikant Dubey, a BJP MP, a liar and has described the claims and complaint as malicious, untrue, baseless, and driven.
“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,” the plea said.
Attorneys Pallavi Langar and Vaibhav Tomar filed the petition, while Senior Attorney Kapil Sibal presented the case.
