Supreme Court disposes of Hemant Soren's interim bail petition amidst elections
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New Delhi: Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren's plea for interim bail to campaign during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections was disposed of by the Supreme Court on Friday.
Soren, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in January in connection with a money laundering case, sought permission to campaign for his party.
The Supreme Court directed that Soren's interim bail petition be considered alongside the petition challenging his arrest in the money laundering case, scheduled for hearing on Monday. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader moved the Supreme Court after the Jharkhand High Court rejected his application challenging the ED's arrest and bail denial.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Soren, emphasized the urgency of the matter, noting that polling for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in Jharkhand begins on May 13. He highlighted the delay in the High Court's judgment on Soren's plea, expressing concern over the infringement of rights.
Soren, arrested on January 31, remains in judicial custody at the Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi. The ED alleges that Soren orchestrated a money laundering scheme by manipulating official records to acquire land worth crores of rupees through forged documents.
The central probe agency contends that Soren generated substantial proceeds of crime by fabricating transactions with dummy sellers and purchasers, violating official procedures, and acquiring valuable land parcels.