SC sets aside HC order for probe into mining lease issue

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the appeals of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren and the state government against a high court order accepting the maintainability of PILs for a probe in the mining lease issue. It also set aside the Jharkhand High Court’s June 3 order.

The JMM leader has been accused of granting himself a mining lease as the state’s mining minister.

“We have allowed these two appeals and have set aside the June 3, 2022 order passed by the Jharkhand High Court, holding that these PILs were not maintainable,” the bench said.

A bench of Justices U U Lalit, S R Bhat and Sudhanshu Dhulia had reserved its judgement on August 17 on separate pleas of the Jharkhand government and Soren against the high court’s order that accepted the maintainability of the PILs.

The apex court had earlier restrained the high court from proceedings with the PILs seeking a probe against Soren in the mining lease issue.