RANCHI: With the BJP actively raking up the ‘office of profit’ controversy, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha on Friday expressed apprehension that the Election Commission might be ‘pressured’ to take a decision without giving CM Hemant Soren a chance to present his case.
The BJP leaders are falsely terming the mining lease taken by Soren as a punishable offence under Section 9A of the Representation of the People Act, JMM legislator Sudivya Kumar said at a press briefing, and claimed this as a ‘conspiracy’ of the opposition party.
The section in question deals with the dismissal of elected lawmakers arising out of conviction. Through its interpretations in various cases from 1964 to 2006, the Supreme Court has clearly stated that mining lease does not come under Section 9A of the Act, Kumar asserted.