The Supreme Court of India has declined to grant interim bail to former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. The court’s decision came during a hearing of Mr. Soren’s petition challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is investigating allegations of money laundering.
Mr. Soren’s plea for interim bail was aimed at allowing him to participate in campaigning for his Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) party in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. His legal counsel, represented by senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Arunabh Chowdhury, cited the recent release of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as a precedent for granting bail.
The bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta heard Mr. Soren’s petition and scheduled the matter for further hearing on May 17. This decision follows the dismissal of Mr. Soren’s earlier petition by the Jharkhand High Court on May 3.
In his appeal filed through advocate Praghya Baghel, Mr. Soren argued that the high court’s dismissal of his plea against the arrest was erroneous. The ED has alleged that during his tenure as chief minister, Mr. Soren engaged in activities aimed at generating illicit proceeds through manipulation of official records and involvement in fictitious transactions related to valuable land acquisitions.
Mr. Soren, a prominent leader of the JMM, was arrested on January 31 and has since been in judicial custody at the Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi. The court’s decision not to grant interim relief to Mr. Soren underscores the legal complexities and ongoing investigations into the alleged money laundering activities during his time in office.
Sources By Agencies