Jharkhand High Court Dismisses Ex-CM Hemant Soren's Plea Against ED Arrest In Land 'Scam' Case
The Jharkhand High Court has dismissed former State Chief Minister Hemant Soren's plea challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in the land scam case. A detailed order is awaited.A bench of Acting Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Navneet Kumar rejected his plea 4 days after the Supreme Court, posting Soren's plea against ED Arrest in the week commencing from May...
The Jharkhand High Court has dismissed former State Chief Minister Hemant Soren's plea challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in the land scam case. A detailed order is awaited.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Navneet Kumar rejected his plea 4 days after the Supreme Court, posting Soren's plea against ED Arrest in the week commencing from May 6, stated that it would be open to the High Court to pronounce the judgment in the matter.
#BREAKING | #JharkhandHighCourt today REJECTED Former Chief Minister Hemant Soren's petition challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate.#HemantSoren #JharkhandNews #BreakingNews #EnforcementDirectorate pic.twitter.com/taJn4WzKCb
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) May 3, 2024
It may be noted that Soren had moved the Supreme Court, citing the High Court's delay in pronouncing the verdict on his petition challenging ED arrest. The order in the petition was reserved by the HC on February 28, 2024.
The JMM leader has been under custody since his arrest by the ED on January 31. On February 2, the Supreme Court refused to entertain his previous petition challenging the ED arrest and asked him to approach the High Court instead.
However, he has allowed (in another petition) for one day to attend the Shraddh ceremony of his uncle (Raja Ram Soren) who passed away last month.
A bench of Justice R. Mukhopadhyay allowed his plea for interim relief while directing Soren to remain in judicial custody and that he wouldn't be allowed to speak to the media.
On April 27, a special PMLA court rejected Soren's interim bail petition. Soren sought to attend the last rites of his uncle, Shibu Soren's elder brother.
Soren, former chief minister of Jharkhand, is being investigated for money laundering charges in connection with an illegal mining case, as well as an alleged land scam in Ranchi, the state's capital. The ED is investigating both cases and contends that approximately 8.5 acres of property in question constitute proceeds of crime. It has charged Soren with unauthorised possession and usage.
ED alleges Soren's direct involvement in the acquisition, possession, and utilisation of these proceeds, accusing him of colluding with others, including Bhanu Pratap Prasad, in concealing original records to portray the acquired property as untainted.
In September last year, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha chairperson approached the Supreme Court challenging summonses by ED in connection with the money laundering case. However, the top court expressed disinclination to entertain the matter, pointing to the alternative remedy available under Article 226 of the Constitution. As such, Soren agreed to withdraw his plea.