On Saturday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) issued a summons on Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s Media Advisor, Abhishek Prasad to appear before January 16, for having a connection for an “illegal mining case”.
Other than this, three others have also been summoned- Sahibganj Deputy Commissioner Ramniwas Yadav on January 11; Vinod Singh, a close associate of Mr Soren on January 15, and Rajkishore Yadav, an ally of Pappu Yadav, former MLA of Katoria Assembly in Bihar to appear before January 9.
The ED is also investigating the allocation of contracts and money earned from the proceeds of crime. Due to his link with the Chief Minister, Vinod Singh has been under ED’s radar. Likewise, ED has been keeping a close look after the former MLA and the Deputy Commissioner.
Why ED Summon?
According to the sources, the ED carried out the search from different locations in Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar and Rajasthan, including the residence of Abhishek Prasad, Rajkishore Yadav and Deputy Commissioner.
Moreover, the ED issued a summon to Chief Minister Hemant Soren for questioning on the alleged ‘land scam’. And this is for the seventh time the summons was issued by the agency. Previously, he was called again to appear on August 14 and September 9, but he skipped the summon, attributed to being involved in the Independence Day celebration in the state. Then again, the agency issued the summon for the Chief Minister to appear on September 23. This time, the summon was on the connection of Money Laundering linked with the ‘illegal mining’ in the state.
ED’s findings till now
The ED collected Rs 1,250 crore on various matters related to illegal mining in the Sahibganj district of Jharkhand on Wednesday. Earlier, the ED has collected Rs 1000 crore regarding the illegal stone mining in the district.
Besides, several other shreds of evidence were found for rampant illegal mining activities. To find out more evidence, the agency extended the operation from 12 locations to 20 including mining, forest, administrative and pollution control officers of the State government. Meanwhile, the agency revealed that more evidence was found on the investments and financial transactions through shell companies and many other things.
ED’s next move on this?
Predicting the ED’s next move in the case involving CM’s media advisor is difficult due to the ongoing nature of the investigation and various factors that are influencing the approach. Besides this, the ED is likely to extend the investigation further to interrogate Prasad’s involvement in illegal mining activities.
Furthermore, the ED might go through to collect the testimonies from the individuals who are potentially connected with the case, which will make it easier for them to gather more information.
Possible Implications
The ED’s summon in the illegal mining case could ripple the reputation of both Prasad and Jharkhand government, and fuel political tensions. Also, if the investigation expands, then more arrests and convictions could follow, setting a guide to tackle illegal mining and corruption.
Ultimately, the case’s outcome will bring significant outcomes for the individuals, and state government and to fight against the illegal activities.
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