Ranchi, March 11 (IANS) The Jharkhand High Court on Wednesday delivered a significant ruling in the ongoing dispute between the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Jharkhand Police. The High Court has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the FIR lodged against ED officials and the entire matter related to it.
Justice Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi, delivering a reserved judgment after hearing detailed arguments from all parties, ordered that the case be handed over to the CBI for investigation.
The ruling is being seen as a major setback for the state government and the Ranchi police. The ED had earlier termed the FIR registered against its officers at the Ranchi Airport police station as baseless and sought its quashing. The ED had also sought a CBI investigation into the entire matter.
The controversy began after Santosh Kumar, an employee of the Drinking Water and Sanitation Department and an accused in a money laundering case, filed a complaint against ED officials. He alleged that he was assaulted, abused and mentally harassed during interrogation at the ED office in Ranchi on January 12.
Acting on the complaint, Ranchi police registered an FIR against ED officials and also conducted a raid at the ED office. The move triggered a sharp confrontation between the state police and the central agency.
Subsequently, the ED approached the High Court by filing a writ petition, alleging that the police action was malicious and aimed at obstructing the agency’s investigation.
During a hearing on January 16, the High Court had stayed the investigation by Ranchi police and made strong observations, stating that the functioning of a central investigative agency should not be interfered with.
The court had also directed that the security of the ED office be handed over to central paramilitary forces such as the CISF, BSF or other agencies, and ordered that CCTV footage related to the incident be preserved.
During the hearing, Assistant Solicitor General of India S.V. Raju, along with advocates A.K. Das and Saurabh Kumar, represented the ED. The state government was represented by senior Supreme Court advocate S. Nagamuthu, Advocate General Rajiv Ranjan and advocate Dipankar. Advocate Sumit Gadodia appeared on behalf of the complainant.
