On Friday, the Supreme Court declined to intervene in the plea filed by former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case. The bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna, M.M. Sundresh, and Bela M. Trivedi directed senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Singhvi, representing Soren, to seek relief from the high court.
Hemant Soren, a leader of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), had to resign as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand anticipating his arrest. In his petition to the Supreme Court, Soren accused the ED of arresting him as part of a "well-orchestrated conspiracy" by the Centre, particularly with Lok Sabha elections looming in the coming months.
Soren urged the apex court to declare his arrest as unjustified, arbitrary, and a violation of his fundamental rights. The former Chief Minister was arrested on January 31 in connection with a money laundering case related to the "illegal" possession of extensive land and alleged links with the "land mafia." On Thursday, a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Ranchi remanded him to one-day judicial custody.
(With Agency Inputs)
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