Supreme Court to take up ex-CM Hemant Soren’s petition against arrest today

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 12

The Supreme Court will take up on Monday Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader and former Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s petition challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case linked to a land scam.

Soren’s petition against the May 3 order of the Jharkhand High Court dismissing his petition against the arrest is scheduled to come up for hearing before a Bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna. Soren has also sought interim bail for campaigning in the Lok Sabha elections till the court delivers its verdict on his plea against arrest.

Money laundering case linked to land scam

• Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren arrested on January 31 in a money laundering case linked to a land scam
• ED alleged “huge amounts” generated by Soren by showing dummy sellers and purchasers to acquire huge parcels of land
• His petition against May 3 order of the Jharkhand High Court dismissing his application against arrest to come up for hearing on Monday
• Soren has also sought interim bail for campaigning in the Lok Sabha election till the court delivers its verdict on his plea against arrest

The JMM Soren was arrested on January 31 after he resigned as Chief Minister, and party loyalist and state Transport Minister Champai Soren was named as his successor. Sources claimed 48-year-old Soren was “evasive” in his replies during his questioning by the ED.

Soren is lodged in judicial custody at the Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi. The ED has alleged that “huge amounts of proceeds of crime” were generated by Soren through manipulation of official records by showing dummy sellers and purchasers in the guise of forged/bogus documents to acquire huge parcels of land having value in crores of rupees.

On May 10, the Bench had disposed of his petition seeking a direction to the high court to deliver its verdict on his petition challenging his arrest by the ED in the money laundering case. Soren’s petition had become infructuous as the high court had delivered its judgement and the JMM leader had already challenged the same in the top court, the Bench noted.

“This has become infructuous,” the Bench had told senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who represented Soren. In his appeal, Soren said that the high court had erred in dismissing his plea against the arrest. On May 3, the high court dismissed his plea and denied him bail in the money laundering case.

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#Enforcement Directorate #Hemant Soren #Jharkhand #Lok Sabha #Supreme Court