SC Sends Notice To ED In Ex-Jharkhand CM Soren’s Appeal

The Supreme Court (SC) sent a notice to the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on Monday concerning the petition filed by former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, challenging his arrest in a money laundering case related to an alleged land deal. Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta’s bench scheduled the next hearing for May 17. Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Hemant Soren, urged the court for an expedited hearing. Hemant Soren has requested interim bail citing the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

In a recent development, the SC provided interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a money laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy. When the apex court indicated listing the matter for the following week, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Soren, pressed for an expedited hearing this week due to the ongoing elections. Sibal emphasized that delaying the interim bail hearing until next week would serve no purpose, as elections in multiple Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand would have concluded by then.

At the onset of the hearing, the court inquired of Sibal whether Soren possessed ownership of the land. In response, the senior advocate clarified that the issue at hand was unrelated to the land. Soren’s legal representative also informed the court about the proceedings conducted in the Jharkhand High Court, which commenced in February and culminated in a decision being rendered in May.

Earlier, on May 3, the Jharkhand High Court dismissed Soren’s petition contesting his arrest in a money laundering case. Dissatisfied with this decision, Soren approached the Supreme Court last week. However, on Friday (May 10), the Supreme Court disposed of Soren’s previous plea regarding the High Court’s delay in issuing a verdict on his arrest challenge, deeming it moot since the judgment had already been delivered. The Supreme Court acknowledged that the Jharkhand High Court recently issued a ruling on JMM leader Soren’s petition, rejecting his plea challenging the arrest in the money laundering case.

During the previous hearing, the Supreme Court directed the Jharkhand High Court to issue a verdict on Soren’s petition challenging his arrest in a money laundering case. Notably, the Jharkhand High Court had reserved its decision on Soren’s plea on February 28. Dissatisfied with the High Court’s delay in delivering a judgment, Soren appealed to the Supreme Court against it and simultaneously requested interim bail in the case.

In his plea before the High Court, Soren contended that his arrest was unjustified and his detention in the matter was arbitrary and unlawful. Through his advocate Pragya Baghel, Soren referred to his arrest as ‘illegal and malafide.’ Hemant Soren was apprehended by the ED on January 31, in connection with an alleged land scam in Jharkhand. The investigation revolves around substantial amounts of proceeds of crime generated through the fabrication of official records, wherein ‘fake sellers’ and purchasers were depicted using forged or fraudulent documents to acquire vast tracts of land valued at crores of rupees.