Union Minister Arjun Munda Fined ₹1.25 Lakh by Jharkhand High Court for Petition Errors

The Jharkhand High Court has imposed a hefty fine of ₹1.25 lakh on Union Minister Arjun Munda for failing to rectify errors in a petition filed by him. This decision came in the case of Arjun Munda v State & Anr, wherein Justice Rajesh Kumar delivered the ruling.

Justice Kumar, in his remarks, emphasized that the defects in the petition may be overlooked on the condition of payment of ₹1.25 lakh in favor of the Advocates’ Clerks Association, Jharkhand High Court, Ranchi.

The plea filed by Munda challenged a first information report (FIR) lodged against him and other Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers. This FIR stemmed from an alleged altercation with the police during a march to the secretariat on April 11, 2023. The FIR named a total of 41 individuals, including Munda, former Chief Ministers Babulal Marandi and Raghubar Das, Chatra MP Sunil Kumar Singh, MLA Amit Mandal, Sameer Oraon, and MP Nishikant Dubey.

Seeking to quash the FIR, Munda approached the High Court, represented by Advocate Prashant Pallav. The Court, in response, directed that no coercive action be taken against Munda until further orders. The case is scheduled for its next hearing on May 8.

The government's side was represented by Government Advocate Manoj Kumar.