Hemant Soren withdraws bail petition after SC rap
Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren—arrested in January in a money laundering case—withdrew an interim bail plea before the Supreme Court on Wednesday. The court raised concerns over "suppressed facts," notably that a Ranchi special court had taken cognizance of the complaint against him. Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal—representing Soren—withdrew the application after the court warned it would dismiss the plea.
Soren won't be able to campaign for Lok Sabha elections
This means that the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader—part of the Congress-led Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance—cannot campaign for the Lok Sabha elections. Voting for Jharkhand's 14 seats was conducted over four phases. Seven seats have already completed polling, while the remaining seats will vote in the sixth and seventh (final) phases on May 25 and June 1, respectively.
Justices Datta and Sharma hear Soren's case
The case was heard by a vacation bench comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma. "You should have approached the high court seeking delivery of the verdict, pointing to developments in the case, including cognizance of the ED [Enforcement Directorate] chargesheet," Justice Datta said. To recall, Soren was arrested on January 31 in connection with a money-laundering case related to an 8.86-acre land acquisition in Ranchi.
ED opposes Soren's interim bail plea
On Monday, the ED opposed Soren's interim bail plea in the Supreme Court. In its affidavit, the federal agency argued that evidence establishes Soren's involvement in illegal property acquisition and possession, deemed proceeds of crime. The agency highlighted statements recorded under section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, indicating an illegally acquired and possessed 8.86-acre property in Shanti Nagar, Bariyatu by Soren.
Soren's alleged misuse of state machinery
The ED also noted Soren's alleged attempts to subvert the investigation by misusing state machinery and projecting the proceeds of crime as untainted through intermediaries. Soren had challenged a May 3 order from the Jharkhand High Court, which dismissed his petition against the ED's arrest. He sought interim bail to campaign in the Lok Sabha elections until the Supreme Court rules on his plea against his arrest.
Sibal seeks adjournment
On Tuesday, Sibal sought an adjournment after the court questioned him on how Soren could have challenged the constitutional validity of his arrest while the special court had taken cognizance of the offense. The court also asked if the arrest could be challenged after the special court rejected Soren's bail plea. Despite attempts to draw parity with Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's case, it was noted that Soren's case was different as cognizance was yet to be taken in Kejriwal's case.
