Shiv Shankar Sharma, who is the petitioner against Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, has filed a caveat before the Supreme Court. He filed the caveat on Wednesday in response to a Special Leave Petition filed by Hemant Soren at the Supreme Court against the maintainability order passed by the Jharkhand High court in the matter related to stone mining lease.

Sharma said filing caveat was necessary for him as wants the Supreme Court to hear him first before as he is the petitioner. 

The PIL 727/2022 was filed by Shiv Shankar Sharma to demand inquiry against Hemant Soren for availing stone mining lease in his name. The stone mine is located at Angara in Ranchi. The petitioner said that Hemant Soren has misused his office to get the mining lease which is a straight case of corruption. The petitioner also said that Hemant Soren also holds the portfolio of forest and environment and he also took undue benefit of his ministerial position.    

So far, the matter has not been listed for hearing before the Supreme Court. Earlier, the Jharkhand government had approached the Supreme Court for quashing the PIL. But the Supreme Court rejected the demand and directed the High Court to hear the maintainability issue of the PIL. The state government challenged the maintainability order passed by the High court about PIL 4290/2021. This PIL was also filed by Sharma where he has alleged the chief minister and his associates for parking ill-gotten money in different shell companies. But the SLP was rejected by the court.

On Thursday, the Jharkhand High Court is scheduled to hear PIL 4290/2021 and 727/2022. The other PIL is related to allegations against the chief minister for doing money laundering through shell companies.