SC defers Hemant Soren’s petition against Jharkhand HC order in graft case

The Supreme Court will next week hear a plea of Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and the state government against a decision of Jharkhand high court accepting maintainability of a public interest litigation (PIL) for a probe against him over alleged irregularities in grant of mining lease last year.

A bench of justices UU Lalit, Aniruddha Bose and Sudhanshu Dhulia directed the matter to be taken up on August 12 after the counsel for the respondent and PIL petitioner before the high court, Shiv Shankar Sharma, requested for an adjournment.

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Sharma’s counsel, advocate Abhinav, told the court that he was informed about appearing in the case on Wednesday evening as a result of which, he was yet to receive the files of the case from the earlier counsel.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who appeared for the Jharkhand government, informed the court that a lawyer, who had filed PILs against Soren in the case, has been arrested in West Bengal in an alleged extortion case.

He was referring to the arrest of advocate Rajiv Kumar in Kolkata on Sunday.