PILs against Soren: CBI books Kolkata businessman, cops – The Indian Express

The action came days after the Jharkhand High Court ordered a probe into the role of the businessman, Amit Aggarwal , who allegedly “scandalised the judiciary, the ED and other government officials”.

The CBI, in its FIR registered on January 18, alleged that Aggarwal gave false information to the Kolkata Police about extortion by lawyer Rajeev Kumar, who was representing a petitioner in two PILs seeking the court’s order for the following: the prosecution of Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren for owning a mining lease, and a CBI and ED investigation into the alleged ownership of shell companies and money laundering by Soren family.
Aggarwal had lodged a complaint in Hare Street Police Station in Kolkata against Kumar for allegedly demanding Rs 10 crore for dismissing a PIL. Kumar had been arrested after this.
The FIR said that it was instead a bribe offered to the lawyer by Aggarwal in a bid to “interfere with the judicial process”.

The PIL relating to shell companies had alleged that several companies owned by Aggarwal were allegedly involved in laundering money at the behest of the Soren family.

In a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) initiated by the CBI after the Jharkhand HC order on November 20 last year, the agency said: “…PE revealed that businessman Agarwal induced lawyer Kumar to use his good contacts with Judges and get the PIL matter dismissed…and handed over Rs. 50 Lacs to …and got him (lawyer Kumar) trapped by the Kolkata Police. PE further revealed that the FIR at Hare Street Police Station was registered under Prevention of Corruption Act (at Agarwal’s instance) without mentioning name of any public servant or unknown public servants in the FIR…Hence, a prima facie offence of criminal conspiracy read with PC Act is made out against Agarwal, Unknown Officers of Kolkata Police.”

The Indian Express had reported in October last year that the ED had told a Special Court in Ranchi that Agarwal had hatched a conspiracy to trap lawyer Rajeev Kumar.
The ED had said: “…Agarwal stated falsely in his complaint…it was all done absolutely in order to project the (shell companies) PIL as a conspiracy between the complainant, the advocate, the government officials and the Judiciary’. Interestingly, ED had also told the court that their investigation found that lawyer Kumar was ‘also keen to accept’ the bribe offered by Agarwal.

In its remand paper to Ranchi Court, ED had also linked Agarwal’s act to its investigation into the “Rs 1000-crore illegal mining case” — involving CM Soren’s aide Pankaj Mishra — where the agency alleged the proceeds of crime has also been “laundered” through Aggarwal’s companies. ED too had accused Kolkata Police of favouring Agarwal.

The Supreme Court in November last year ordered that the PILs filed against Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in Jharkhand HC were not maintainable i.e the PILs would not be heard by the Jharkhand HC on merits. The apex court made it clear that hearing of both the PILs was itself “an abuse of process of this court”.