The Election Commission (EC) has sent a notice to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren over an office-of-profit charge against him for allotment of a mining lease in his name in 2021.
Section 9A of RPA
- Under Section 9A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, Mr. Soren could face disqualification for entering into a government contract.
What are the charges ?
- Former Jharkhand CM Raghubar Das had alleged that Mr. Soren misused his office by allotting a stone quarrying lease in his name on government land outside Ranchi while he was also the State Mines Minister.
- Soren’s application for a stone mining lease on plot number 482 was pending for 13 years and the district mining office in Ranchi granted it on July 10, 2021 .
- The BJP said the lease was a violation because the district mining office reports to the state mines department of which the chief minister is in charge.
Office of Profit
- Under Section 9A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, Mr. Soren could face disqualification for entering into a government contract.
- As per Section 9A, a person shall be disqualified if, and for so long as, there subsists a contract entered into by him in the course of his trade or business with the appropriate Government for the supply of goods to, or for the execution of any works undertaken by, that Government.
- Under the provisions of Article 102 (1) and Article 191 (1) of the Constitution, an MP or an MLA (or an MLC) is barred from holding any office of profit under the central or state government.
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