The Jharkhand High Court has imposed a cost of Rs 8,000 on the state government for not filing its response in a petition by Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials. The officials want an FIR under the SC/ST Act, registered on the complaint of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, to be quashed. According to The New Indian Express, the cost was imposed on Monday in Ranchi after the state asked for more time to file its reply.
Key points
- The High Court fined the state Rs 8,000, to be deposited with the Jharkhand State Legal Services Authority (JHALSA).
- The case was heard by Justice Anil Kumar Choudhary; the next hearing is after four weeks.
- The FIR was lodged on January 31, 2024 at the SC/ST police station in Ranchi against ED officials.
- The court had earlier imposed costs on October 1 and in April 2026 for similar requests for more time.
What the FIR alleges
The FIR names ED officials Kapil Raj, Deovrat Jha, Anupam Kumar, Aman Patel and others. It was registered under Section 3(1)(P)(R)(S)(U) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The complaint alleges that ED officials asked the Chief Minister to remain present in Ranchi from January 29 to 31, 2024. During this time, it says, a raid was carried out without prior notice at Shantiniketan and at Jharkhand Bhawan in Delhi on January 27, in his absence. Mr Soren alleged that this caused him mental and social harassment. He also accused the central agency of damaging his image by giving misleading information to the media.
The case in the High Court
The ED officials moved the High Court to challenge the FIR and the proceedings under the SC/ST Act. They have described the case as baseless and want it quashed. Senior Advocate Amit Kumar Das and Advocate Saurabh Kumar appeared for the officials at the hearing.
The court had directed the government to file its response to the petition. On Monday, the state again asked for additional time, which led to the cost of Rs 8,000.
This is not the first time the court has acted on such delays. At the hearing on October 1, the court expressed displeasure over a similar request for more time and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on Mr Soren. It then directed that the response be filed and fixed November 2 as the next date. The report also says the High Court had earlier asked Mr Soren to file a response in the matter, and in April 2026 it imposed a fine when time was sought for the same purpose.
What happens next
The matter will be heard again after four weeks. The court will then consider the petition by the ED officials, provided the state files its response by that time.
