Tainted leader gets away, HC asks govt officials to explain

Jharkhand High Court today sought replies from two senior officials as to why former minister Nalin Soren, who is wanted in connection with a scam, was allowed to get away when he turned up to pay tribute to slain SP Amarjit Balihar here yesterday.
Taking suo motu cognisance of Soren's photograph in local newspapers today, the division bench of Chief Justice Prakash Tatia and Justice Jaya Roy asked the home secretary and the DGP to file their replies by July 16.
The court asked them to explain why Soren, a JMM MLA, was not arrested despite police records showing him as an 'absconder' in the Rs 26 crore seed scam case.

Police had earlier informed a court that the probe into the scam was being delayed as the absconding Soren was not available for questioning.
The vigilance bureau is investigating the case.
SP Balihar was killed along with four others in a suspected Maoist ambush of his police convoy in Damini forest in Jharkhand on Tuesday.