Technical glitch stalls virtual appearance of Hemant Soren in money‑laundering trial

A server outage at the video‑conferencing platform used by the court prevented Hemant Soren from appearing virtually on the day of the hearing. The disruption forced the bench to adjourn the session, as the chief minister could not be presented before the magistrate.

The ED’s special public prosecutor countered Soren’s request for another postponement, labeling it an attempt to delay justice. While the prosecution’s objections were dismissed, the court could not proceed without the chief minister’s virtual presence.

Both parties were reminded that the hearing can continue in the absence of a virtual appearance, but the judge chose to set a fresh date to ensure fairness and procedural compliance.

The next hearing is slated for 24 September 2026 at 3:30 pm, giving the ED time to re‑share any pending documents and the court a chance to verify the technical setup.