On Wednesday, the Supreme Court denied to hear former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s bail application, citing his failure to disclose that a trial court had already acknowledged an Enforcement Directorate (ED) report. Following the court’s statements, Soren’s lawyers withdrew the bail plea from the Supreme Court. Soren was detained by the ED on January 31 in connection with a money laundering investigation involving an alleged land scam.
The former Jharkhand chief minister has petitioned the Supreme Court for temporary bail to participate in the current Lok Sabha elections. On Monday, the ED expressed strong opposition to any preferential treatment for him. In response to Soren’s bail petition, the investigating agency stressed his enormous power and accused attempts to stymie the investigation by using state resources to present illicit gains as legitimate.
In a counter-affidavit filed in response to Soren’s plea challenging his arrest and requesting interim bail for election campaigning, the ED stated, “There is a concerted effort by the petitioner (Soren) to obstruct the investigation by abusing state resources and presenting the proceeds of crime as clean through his associates.” The charges against Soren come from the arrest of Bhanu Pratap Prasad, a land revenue inspector, in 2023. Prasad was allegedly involved in a land-grabbing conspiracy that altered original land records. Several original land documents were obtained from Prasad, including an image of an 8.36-acre parcel purportedly in Soren’s illegal possession.
