The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader and former Chief Minister Hemant Soren has been in custody since his arrest by the ED on January 31.
The Jharkhand High Court on Friday rejected former Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s plea challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the land scam case and denied him bail.
Four days after the Supreme Court postponed Soren’s plea to the week starting from May 6, a bench led by Acting Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Navneet Kumar rejected his request.
Soren moved the apex court due to the delay in the High Court’s verdict on his petition against the ED’s arrest, the High Court had reserved its order on February 28, 2024.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader has been in custody since his arrest by the ED on January 31. On February 2, the Supreme Court declined to entertain his previous petition challenging the ED’s arrest and directed to approach the High Court instead.
Read More: India’s first Vande Metro train rolls out; trials will begin in July for short commutes up to 250 km
Nevertheless, he was granted temporary bail (in another petition) for one day to attend the shraadh ceremony of his uncle, Raja Ram Soren, who passed away last month.
A bench led by Justice R Mukhopadhyay granted his plea for interim relief while directing Soren to remain in judicial custody and prohibiting him from speaking to the media. On April 27, a special PMLA court dismissed Soren’s petition for interim bail. Soren sought permission to attend the last rites of his uncle, who was the elder brother of Shibu Soren.
Soren, the former chief minister of Jharkhand, is under investigation for money laundering charges linked to an illegal mining case and an alleged land scam in Ranchi, the state’s capital. The ED is investigating both cases and alleges that approximately 8.5 acres of property involved constitute proceeds of crime. It has accused Soren of unauthorised possession and usage.
Read More: Apple CEO Tim Cook on AI: ‘We continue to feel very bullish’
The ED alleges Soren’s direct involvement in the acquisition, possession, and use of the money from these activities. It is believed that he worked with others, like Bhanu Pratap Prasad, to hide the original papers and make it seem like the money was clean.
Last September, Soren took the issue of summonses by the ED in a money laundering case to the Supreme Court. However, the top court hesitated to address the matter, suggesting recourse under Article 226 of the Constitution. As a result, Soren opted to take his plea back.
