Page 22 - Jharkhand

ED arrests J'khand minister's secy, latter's domestic help after cash haul

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday arrested Jharkhand minister Alamgir Alam's personal secretary Sanjiv Lal and the latter's domestic help following a recovery of over Rs 32 crore cash from them, official sources said. The duo have been taken into custody under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) following their overnight questioning, the sources said. The ED on Monday had raided a 2BHK flat in the city that is allegedly occupied by Lal's domestic help Jehangir, as part of a money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the state rural development department, they said. It had recovered over Rs 32 crore cash apart from Rs 3 crore from some other premises that were searched by the central agency. The total cash recovery stands at Rs 35.23 crore, the sources said. Jharkhand rural development minister and Congress leader Alam had denied any wrongdoing on his part.

LS polls: Rahul Gandhi to address two poll rallies in Jharkhand today

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will visit Jharkhand on Tuesday and address two election rallies in support of INDIA bloc candidates, a party spokesperson said. Gandhi will address his first rally at Tata College in Chaibasa, seeking votes for Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) candidate Joba Manjhi for Singhbhum Lok Sabha seat. "His Chaibasa rally is scheduled at 11.30 am. Thereafter, he will address another rally at Gumla's Basia around 2 pm in support of Congress candidate Sukhdev Bhagat for Lohardaga Lok Sabha seat," party spokesperson Sonal Shanti said. Singhbhum and Lohardaga seats will go to polls on May 13 along with Khunti and Palamu. JMM has fielded Joba Manjhi as the INDIA bloc candidate in Singhbhum against BJP's Geeta Kora, who recently switched to the saffron party from Congress. In Lohardaga, Congress' Sukdhev Bhagat will contest against BJP's Samir Oraon. Gandhi had earlier stayed in Jharkhand for eight days during his 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' in February this year, Shanti

Rs 25 cr recovered from house help of Jharkhand minister's secretary. VIDEO

Video footage of the ED raid shows wads of currency notes scattered across a room purportedly belonging to the domestic aide of Sanjiv Lal, the personal secretary to Jharkhand minister Alamgir Alam

Hemant Soren moves SC against rejection of bail plea by Jharkhand HC

Former Chief Minister Hemant Soren moved the Supreme Court on Monday against rejection of his bail plea by the Jharkhand High Court in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Soren, mentioned the matter before a bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud seeking urgent listing of his plea. The bench also comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said it would look into the request. The Jharkhand High Court on Friday dismissed Soren's writ petition challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and denied bail to him. Soren was arrested by the ED on January 31 and is at present in judicial custody and lodged at the Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi. He was sent to the jail on February 15 after 13-day custody of the ED.

Step-motherly treatment dished out by Modi govt to Jharkhand, alleges Cong

The Congress on Saturday claimed that the Centre owed Jharkhand lakhs of crores of rupees in coal royalties and central scheme benefits, and alleged that the Modi government dished out a "step-motherly treatment" to the state. Congress general secretary posed questions to the prime minister ahead of his rally in Palamu, Jharkhand. "Why is the PM not releasing 1.36 lakh crores due to Jharkhand? Why is the PM denying 8 lakh people of Jharkhand the homes they were promised? What happened to the Mandal Dam?" Ramesh said in a post on X. In Jharkhand, coal mines are operated by subsidiaries of Coal India Limited, which owes huge sums of money to the state government, he said. "There is an outstanding of Rs 1,01,142 crore for non-payment of land compensation, Rs 32,000 crore under common cause dues head, and Rs 2,500 crore under washed coal royalty head. Sadly, given the BJP's track record in opposition-ruled states, the step-motherly treatment being dished out to Jharkhand is hardly a ..

Jharkhand HC quashes Hemant Soren's writ petition challenging ED arrest

The Jharkhand High Court on Friday dismissed jailed former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren's writ petition challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and denied bail to him. The court, however, allowed him to attend his uncle's last rites on May 6 under police custody. Soren, through the petition earlier, had challenged his arrest by the ED. The court had kept the order reserved in the case on February 28. The court of Justice Rongon Mukhopadhyay has directed that he (Soren) can attend the last rites of his uncle in police custody. Soren was arrested by the ED on January 31 in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. He is at present in judicial custody and lodged at the Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi. Soren was sent to the Birsa Munda Central Jail on February 15 after his 13-day custody of the ED.

Hemant Soren gets bail for uncle's funeral, criminal writ petition rejected

The Jharkhand High Court on Friday granted provisional bail to former chief minister Hemant Soren to attend the funeral of his uncle Rajaram

LS polls: PM Modi to address rally, undertake roadshow in Jharkhand today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address an election rally in Jharkhand and undertake a roadshow in Ranchi on Friday, a party official said. The PM is scheduled to visit the West Singhbhum district on Friday where he will address an election rally 'Maha Vijay Sankalp Sabha' at Tata College Ground, Chaibasa, from 3 pm and seek votes for party candidates in two Lok Sabha constituenciesSinghbhum and Khunti, both are scheduled tribe (ST) reserved seats, he said. The party has fielded sitting MP Geeta Kora, who recently switched to BJP from Congress, from the Singhbhum Lok Sabha seat and Union Minister Arjun Munda from the Khunti seat. After the rally, the PM is scheduled to arrive at Ranchi's Birsa Munda Airport in the evening and will undertake a roadshow till Raj Bhawan amid heavy security deployment. During the roadshow, BJP workers, leaders and common citizens will greet him at various locations along the route, including Hinoo Chowk, Birsa Chowk, DPS Chowk, Argora Chowk, BJP ...

Hemant Soren's wife Kalpana files nomination from Gandey assembly seat

Jailed Jharkhand ex-CM Hemant Soren's wife Kalpana on Monday filed her nomination as the JMM candidate from Gandey assembly seat in the state. Bypoll to the seat is scheduled on May 20 along with the parliamentary elections in the state. The seat in Giridih district fell vacant following the resignation of JMM MLA Sarfaraz Ahmad. Kalpana, 48, was accompanied by Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren and brother-in-law Basant Soren, among others, when she filed her papers. Kalpana, a homemaker with MTech and MBA qualifications, completed her school education from Baripada in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district and obtained her engineering and MBA degrees from separate institutions in Bhubaneswar. Her political journey began at the 51st foundation day celebration of the JMM in Giridih district on March 4, when she claimed that a conspiracy had been orchestrated by opponents ever since the Hemant Soren-led coalition government came to power in 2019 and that Jharkhand will give a befitting r

SC seeks ED's response on ex-Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren's interim bail plea

The Supreme Court on Monday sought a response from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on an interim bail plea of former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren in a money laundering case. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta issued notice to the ED and sought its response by May 6. The bench said the Jharkhand High Court may pronounce its verdict on Soren's plea challenging his arrest in the case. The order was reserved on February 28. Senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Arunabh Chowdhury, appearing for Soren, said they want interim bail in the matter. Soren moved the top court on April 24, saying the high court was not pronouncing the verdict on his plea challenging his arrest in the case. Soren was arrested on January 31 shortly after he resigned as the chief minister, and state transport minister Champai Soren was named his successor. The probe against Soren pertains to an 8.86-acre plot of land in Ranchi that the ED has alleged was illegally acquired by him. The mon

INDIA bloc's 7 sitting MLAs to contest from Jharkhand, BJP chooses 3

Intriguing dynamics in Jharkhand's political landscape has come to the fore in the wake of the candidate lists that have been finalised by the state's ruling INDIA bloc and its prime opposition, the BJP. While the INDIA alliance has opted for continuity by nominating seven sitting legislators, the BJP has chosen three MLAs as candidates across the state's 14 Lok Sabha constituencies. These decisions underscore a combination of factors, including trust in incumbent representatives and a perceived shortage of viable contenders. Interestingly, two sitting legislators from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) have decided to contest independently, reflecting potential internal discord within the party. The elections, scheduled to commence on May 13, are poised to witness the participation of 2.56 crore eligible voters in the state. The ruling alliance, comprising the Congress, JMM, RJD, and CPI-ML(L), has delineated seat-sharing arrangements, with Congress contesting seven seats and JMM .

HC not pronouncing verdict on plea against arrest: Hemant Soren to SC

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court, saying the high court is not pronouncing verdict on his plea challenging arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta was told by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Soren, that the high court had reserved its verdict on February 28 on his plea but still no decision has been delivered. Soren was arrested on January 31 in the case after he resigned as the Jharkhand chief minister, and party loyalist and state transport minister Champai Soren was named as his successor. He was arrested after being grilled by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for seven hours in the case. The ED is probing the alleged "huge amounts of proceeds of crime generated by manipulation of official records by showing dummy sellers and purchasers in the guise of forged/bogus documents to acquire huge parcels of land having value in crores'.

Odisha declares summer vacation for schools as heatwave grips states

IMD predicts heatwave conditions in Odisha, Bengal, and Jharkhand, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh until April 26; possibility of light rainfall in eastern states

Four J'khand DMs fined for submitting incomplete reports on Ganga pollution

The National Green Tribunal has imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 each on four district magistrates in Jharkhand for submitting "incomplete reports" regarding the prevention and control of the Ganga's pollution. The National Green Tribunal has taken up the matter of abatement of pollution in the Ganga and its tributaries and had sought specific information on the matter from Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. In February, the panel had imposed costs of Rs 25,000 on Jharkhand after noting that no report was filed from any district magistrate, who are heads of District Ganga Protection Committees. In an order passed on April 10, a bench of National Green Tribunal Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava noted that compliance reports were received from Sahibganj, Dumka, Ranchi, Rajmahal, Giridih, Dhanbad, Bokaro and Ramgarh districts. The bench, also comprising Judicial Member Justice Sudhir Agarwal and Expert Member A Senthil Vel, however, said the reports from ..

Highlights: For 60 yrs, Cong could not find a tribal who could be country's President, says PM Modi

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Massive fire breaks out at NTPC's superthermal power plant in Jharkhand

A massive fire broke out at NTPC's North Karanpura superthermal power plant in Jharkhand's Chatra district on Friday, officials said. The fire was first spotted around 2 pm, they said. "The fire broke out at the BHEL material yard of unit 3 in the power plant. So far no casualty has been reported," a senior BHEL official told PTI. Efforts are underway to douse the blaze, he said. The installation is a 660X3 mw coal-based power plant. NTPC is the country's largest power generation company.

JMM's Nazrul Islam apologises for making derogatory statement against PM

Senior Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Nazrul Islam on Wednesday apologised for making a derogatory statement against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that his remark was not intended to hurt anyone. His apology came a day after the state BJP demanded Islam's arrest for the comment that the prime minister "would be buried 400-foot below" in the election, instead of winning 400 seats. During a political speech, I was speaking against the prime minister's claim of winning 400 seats. I intended to say that they (BJP-led NDA) would not get 400 seats and they will be out of power, Islam said in a video statement. The JMM central committee member said, I am an educated person and a professor. I cannot speak such words against the prime minister. But if, for some reason, my words have accidentally hurt anyone, I sincerely apologise. He made the remarks against Modi at a public meeting in Sahibganj on Sunday. The BJP's Sahibganj unit lodged a complaint with the police against Isl

ED arrests one more; conducts searches in Ranchi in a case against Soren

The Enforcement Directorate has made a fresh arrest in connection with the money laundering investigation against former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and others, official sources said Tuesday. The federal agency also undertook some searches in Ranchi against a person named Antu Tirkey, who is allegedly linked to the case. The arrested person identified as Afshar Ali was lodged in jail under judicial custody in another money laundering case and the agency has taken his custody in the latest case after seeking a designated court's permission. Ali is accused of committing "forgery" for allegedly grabbing some land in Jharkhand in purported connivance with the prime accused in the case against Soren and former revenue department sub inspector Bhanu Pratap Prasad. This is the fourth arrest in the instant case. The 48-year-old JMM leader Soren was arrested by the ED in January shortly after he resigned as the CM. He is currently lodged at the Birsa Munda jail at Hotwar in Ranch

LS polls: Maoist-hit areas of Singhbhum to witness voting for first-time

Come May 13, many interior areas in the Maoist den of Singhbhum Lok Sabha seat in Jharkhand will witness voting for the first time, or after decades-long gap, as polling teams and materials will be air dropped from helicopters to enable people living in Saranda, Asia's densest Sal forest, to exercise their franchise. As many as 118 remote booths will be set up by personnel and materials dropped from choppers. "We are committed to ensuring that no voter is left out... we have identified many areas where polling will be conducted for the first time or after nearly two decades as these locations were badly affected by Maoist insurgency," West Singhbhum Deputy Commissioner cum District Election Officer Kuldeep Chaudhary told PTI. Despite improvement in the situation, West Singhbhum remains one of the worst left-wing extremism-affected districts of the country. It had witnessed 46 Maoist-related incidents resulting in 22 deaths last year. Polling stations such as Middle School, Nugdi an

Extended poll timings, ORS, medical teams to help voters deal with heat

In anticipation of intense heat during the Lok Sabha polls in Jharkhand, comprehensive measures have been put in place to mitigate the effects of heat waves on voters, officials, and security personnel. These include extending poll timings, setting up makeshift sheds, providing ORS and lemon water, and deploying medical teams and ambulances, an election official said. The elections will be conducted in seven phases from April 19 to June 1, with Jharkhand's voting taking place on May 13, 20, 25, and June 1 for its 14 seats. With over 2.55 crore eligible voters, including 1.25 crore women, increasing voter turnout amidst the heatwave presents a significant challenge for both the state and the Election Commission. In 2019, Jharkhand's overall voter turnout was 66.8 per cent, lower than the national average of 67.4 per cent. To address this measures such as extending polling hours from 7 am to 5 pm and providing temporary shelters at booths have been implemented. Additionally, facili