Ranchi: The Jharkhand High Court has provided significant relief to several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders by dismissing two high-profile cases. In separate rulings, the court quashed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking an investigation into the disproportionate assets of five former ministers from the Raghubar Das cabinet and annulled an FIR against 18 BJP leaders related to a political protest.
The PIL, filed by activist Pankaj Kumar Yadav in 2020, alleged that five former ministers from the Das government—Amar Kumar Bauri, Neera Yadav, Neelkanth Singh Munda, Louis Marandi, and Randhir Singh—had accumulated assets beyond their known income. Despite a delay in proceedings, the case gained traction in 2023 when Chief Minister Hemant Soren approved an Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) inquiry. However, the High Court dismissed the PIL, effectively ending the investigation into the ministers, including Louis Marandi, now a Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MLA.
In the second case, an FIR was filed following the violent Yuva Akrosh March organized by the BJP in Ranchi in August 2023, which resulted in clashes between BJP supporters and the police. The FIR named 18 prominent BJP figures, including former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi and several other leaders. The accused BJP leaders challenged the FIR in court, claiming it was politically motivated. The High Court, after reviewing the case, dismissed the FIR, clearing the leaders of any legal hurdles related to the protest.
These rulings mark a significant legal victory for BJP leaders in Jharkhand, shielding them from corruption allegations and protest-related charges.
