India’s Delhi High Court (DHC) refused Monday to interfere with ombudsman proceedings against Shibu Soren, who is the former Chief Minister of Jharkhand state and a member of India’s upper house of Parliament, Rajya Sabha. Soren is facing corruption charges stemming from a complaint filed by MP Nishikant Dubery of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The DHC noted in its judgment that Soren challenged a complaint filed against him before the Lokpal, India’s ombudsman authority, invoking Section 20 of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013. Section 20 of the act is concerned with provisions related to complaints, inquiry and investigation. Soren markedly argued that the complaint should be dismissed under Section 53 of the act due to a delay in filing. Section 53 of the Act puts a seven-year limitation on entertaining complaints under the act. However, the court noted that the Lokpal had not yet decided on the complaint, and Section 53’s timeline is not mandatory. The court emphasized the act’s purpose of combating corruption and the need for an independent Lokpal. It ruled the petition premature and directed the Lokpal to assess the complaint’s merit independently and decide on further action.

India’s Lokpal, established by the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act (2013), investigates corruption allegations against public officials, striving for clean governance. Despite India’s signing of the UN Convention against Corruption, corruption remains a prevalent and ubiquitous issue in the nation. India ranks 85 out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index. Furthermore, India has not improved its score on the index in the last three years.

Shibu Soren is an Indian politician involved in Jharkhand state politics who founded the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), a regional political party in the state. Soren has served as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand multiple times and has been a Member of Parliament. He is known for advocating for Jharkhand’s statehood and has been an influential figure in the region’s political landscape. His son, Hemant Soren, is the incumbent chief minister of Jharkhand state.

According to a 2019 survey by Transparency International, 74 percent of surveyed citizens of Jharkhand acknowledged paying bribes for various services, with all respondents making multiple payments, either directly or indirectly. Only 13 percent reported getting work done without resorting to bribery.