Ranchi: A special PMLA court here on Monday adjourned the framing of charges against chief minister Hemant Soren in the Bargain land-linked money laundering case to Sept 24.The court fixed the matter for 3.30 pm after Hemant could not appear virtually because of a technical problem caused by a server outage. The court had directed him to join the proceedings through video conference for the framing of charges.He had also sought deferment of the proceedings. Enforcement Directorate (ED) opposed his plea, arguing that it was an attempt to delay the trial. The court rejected the plea, but the proceedings could not go ahead in the absence of the chief minister’s virtual appearance.The case relates to alleged illegal acquisition and possession of about 8.86 acres of land in Ranchi’s Bargain. According to the prosecution case, the land was allegedly acquired through forged documents and manipulation of official records. Hemant has denied the allegations.The court has already framed charges against 16 of the 17 accused in the case. The accused include former revenue sub-inspector Bhanu Pratap Prasad, alleged land brokers and other private persons. Hemant is the only accused against whom the process of framing charges remains pending.The charges against the other accused were framed under Section 3 of the PMLA, which deals with the offence of money laundering and is punishable under Section 4. The accused pleaded not guilty after the charges were read out in court and will face trial.The case originated from an FIR registered at Ranchi’s Sadar police station on June 1, 2023, against Prasad on allegations including forgery, cheating, theft and manipulation of land records. The FIR followed information shared by ED with the state govt during its investigation into alleged land-related irregularities.ED subsequently registered an enforcement case information report under the PMLA and filed a prosecution complaint against Hemant and the other accused. A special court rejected Hemant’s discharge petition in June 2026, allowing the proceedings to continue.
