The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday declined to grant interim bail to former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in a money laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The court noted that Soren had not disclosed the fact that the trial court had taken cognizance of the chargesheet in the matter. Consequently, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Soren, agreed to withdraw the application.
The Supreme Court, through a vacation bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma, emphasized that delving into the details of Soren's plea could be damaging. The bench indicated that it would dismiss Soren's plea against his arrest without examining the merits of the case, as the trial court had already passed a judicial order taking cognizance of the prosecution complaint.
The bench had previously asked Soren's counsel to justify how interim bail could be granted for campaigning in the Lok Sabha elections when his regular bail application had been dismissed. The justices highlighted that the trial court's order, which took a prima facie view that an offense had been committed, had not been challenged.
Soren approached the Supreme Court against the Jharkhand High Court's decision, which had rejected his plea challenging his arrest in the money laundering case on May 3. In his plea before the High Court, Soren claimed that his arrest was unwarranted and his remand arbitrary and illegal. He also sought interim bail through advocate Pragya Baghel, arguing that his arrest was illegal and malafide.
The ED arrested Soren in January in connection with a land scam case involving the forgery of official records to show fake sellers and purchasers, using forged or bogus documents to acquire large parcels of land valued in crores. This arrest followed a period of media speculation and a "hide-and-seek" drama. The probe revealed substantial proceeds from crime generated through these fraudulent activities.
