The Supreme Court of India has refused to grant interim bail to former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in the plea challenging his arrest by ED. Refusing bail, the top court has further called on the Enforcement Directorate to file a response by May 20.
Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Hemant Soren, appealed to the court to grant interim bail. Citing the case for Arvind Kejriwal, the interim bail aimed at allowing him to participate in campaigning for the Jharkhand Mukta Morcha party for the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections 2024.
The plea was heard by a bench comprising on Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta. The court stated that it cannot file a case until it has heard ED's response to the plea.
Declining interim relief for Soren, the Supreme Court has now listed the matter for May 17.
The plea in the Supreme Court was filed after the Jharkhand High Court dismissed the former CM's plea challenging his arrest.
Hemant Soren was arrested on January 31 by the Enforcement Directorate under charges of money laundering. Since his arrest, the JMM leader has been lodged at the Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi. The central agency has alleged that Soren orchestrated a scheme to generate illicit proceeds by forging and manipulating official records to acquire valuable land, during his tenure as Chief Minister of the state.
Soren has asserted that he was not in possession of the land. The same was reiterated by Soren's counsel during the Supreme Court hearing on Monday.
Polling in the state of Jharkhand commenced today - May 13 - during the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha Elections. Voting across this state will be held till the seventh phase - June 1.
