Hemant Soren, chief minister of Jharkhand, was relieved when the Supreme Court halted the Jharkhand High Court's investigation into a PIL that accused him of allegedly laundering money through shell firms despite the fact that there was no evidence to support the claim.
A bench of Chief Justice U U Lalit and Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Sudhanshu Dhulia said that there is nothing wrong in allowing probe against people who occupy high offices but taking cognisance of the matter on generalised submissions which do not even make prima facie satisfaction of the court, “is nothing but an abuse of the process of the court.”
The bench stated that the PIL was not supported by any facts or proof, but the HC still accepted the plea and declared it to be maintainable. The petitioner's place of origin is therefore extremely crucial, according to the court, as this significant type of litigation should not be misused by motivated individuals looking to subvert the legal system for their political agendas or for any other reason.
Justice Pardiwala, who penned the verdict for the bench stated that “Furthermore, the allegations which were made by the petitioner are vague, very much generalised and not at all substantiated by anything worthy to be called an evidence. Allegations of corruption and siphoning of money from shell companies are nothing but bald allegation, without substantiating the allegations in any manner whatsoever and is therefore only asking the court to direct CBI or the Directorate of Enforcement to investigate the matter. This is nothing but an abuse of the process of the court.”
