Jharkhand HC expresses anguish at Soren's counsel in money laundering case

The Jharkhand High Court on Thursday expressed anguish at the counsel of Chief Minister Hemant Soren while hearing the money laundering and office of profit petitions against him.

A bench of Chief Justice Ravi Ranjan and Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad were astounded by the fact that Soren's advocate Amritansh Vats did not have the vakalatnama while the hearing was underway.

Delhi-based senior advocate Meenakshi Arora appearing for Soren pleaded for more time, stating that she was not given all the petitions filed in the matter.

The court said the senior advocate Mukul Rohtagi, who earlier appeared for Soren, had never raised the issue of petitions not being served.

Advocate Vats was the local lawyer for Soren and was responsible for receiving the petitions.

On further query, it was revealed that Vats had earlier appeared in the case without a proper vakalatnama executed by Soren.

Vakalatnama is written consent given by a client to his advocate to plead and argue a case on his behalf. It also entitles the advocate to file and receive petitions on behalf of his client.

Arora sought a later date for the hearing. The court, however, was not keen to grant much time and fixed the next date of hearing on June 30.

Two petitions have been filed in the high court against Soren. While one claimed holding of office of profit by him as he was allegedly granted a mining lease, the other is in regards to parking of illegal funds in shell companies allegedly owned and run by him and his aides.