A bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and Hima Kohli of the Supreme Court on Friday refused to stay the proceedings before the Jharkhand High Court against Chief Minister Hemant Soren in the PILs related to shell companies and irregularities in granting stone mining lease in his name.
The state government had filed two SLPs to challenge the order of the Jharkhand High Court upholding the maintainability of both PILs filed by Shiv Shankar Sharma.
"We are keeping it open. Approach the High Court and raise it when it is being heard. We cannot look at it in a piecemeal manner. Jharkhand High Court has already decided what we had asked them to," the apex court observed. The bench was of the view that an urgent hearing of SLPs was not required.
The apex court adjourned the hearing and said that the matter may be heard once the apex court reopens after summer vacation.
Senior Supreme Court lawyer Mukul Rohatgi was appearing for the Jharkhand government. He submitted before the court that the PILs 4290/2021 and 7272/ 2022 are politically motivated and these were filed with a motive to destabilise the Hemant Soren government. He said that the petitioner was politically motivated. He also added that the day-to-day hearing has been taking place without having any urgency.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appearing on behalf of the CBI and ED responded that he would inform about the urgency. “We can’t be street fighters," he said.
At Jharkhand High Court, the bench of Chief Justice Dr. Ravi Ranjan and Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad resumed the hearing of both PILs. But the court deferred the hearing till June 23 at the request of state lawyer Piyush Chitresh. He said that Advocate General Rajiv Ranjan and senior apex court lawyer Kapil Sibal have turned Covid positive. ASG SV Raju turned up on behalf of ED and CBI whereas Rajiv Kumar assisted the court on behalf of the petitioner.
The court said that for the convenience of all concerned parties, the next hearing will take place through virtual mode.