It is learnt that ED is challenging in the Supreme Court, an order of the Jharkhand High Court which granted bail to Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Hemant Soren in connection with a money laundering case pertaining to alleged land scam.
Soren was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand on July 4. ED arrested him on January 31. The ED had contended before the high court that bail to Soren could lead to recurrence of similar offences, citing the cases relating to ED officers at the SC/ST police station.
Though the high court accepted the apprehensions of the ED in its order, it held that nothing pointed to Soren doing similar wrongs and evading the law enforcement authorities if released on bail. Stating this, the court also took into consideration certain findings which indicated that the requirements of Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, were met in the case and, therefore, there were reasons to believe that Soren might not be guilty of the offence alleged against him.
Soren's lawyers, however, vehemently contested his involvement and said that he had been roped in falsely by the ED; Soren continued to be charged with misusing his position as Chief Minister of the state for illegally acquiring 8.86 acres in the Bargain area of the state capital. According to the probe agency, its investigation has revealed that Soren's media consultant Abhishek Prasad admitted that on instructions from Soren, he changed the ownership details of the plot, which is part of official records.
The ED had said that the original landowner, Raj Kumar Pahan, had even tried to lodge a complaint when his land was allegedly usurped but no one paid heed. Soren had been summoned multiple times by the ED before he was questioned at his residence and later arrested on January 31.
Read also | Potential for POK Integration Hinged on NDA Securing Over 400 Seats
