Soren, Sahay

Ranchi, Aug. 26: Jharkhand High Court today rejected applications for a CBI inquiry into the assets of Union minister and Congress MP Subodh Kant Sahay, BJP MP Arjun Munda and JMM chief Shibu Soren.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Gyan Sudha Misra and Justice Pradeep Kumar, while hearing the disproportionate assets case, refused to accept the individual petitions filed against the three politicians on technical grounds. The bench argued that the trio were not arraigned in the main PIL filed by petitioner Durga Oraon.

“The three politicians were prayed to be added in individual applications that are not part of the main petition, hence, the court cannot allow multiplicity of litigations in the matter,” the bench said.

The court also rejected former ministers Bhanu Pratap Sahi and Bandhu Tirkey’s pleas to remove them from the PIL in the disproportionate assets.

Sahi had moved a petition to recall an earlier order in which the court had observed that there were prima-facie material against him to show he had more assets than can be legally accounted for. Tirkey, on the other hand, pleaded to have his name dropped, saying there was no basis in the allegations and much of the charges were based on media reports.

The court, however, directed them to submit their pleas in the main petition at the time of hearing.

Former chief minister Madhu Koda also pleaded innocence in the case and said that since an inquiry by the vigilance is already proceeding against him, the PIL should be dropped as its purpose has been fulfilled.