Special PMLA Court refuses bail to former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren in land scam case

Former Chief Minister Hemant Soren had sought interim bail of 13 days from the court to attend the funeral of his uncle, hearing which the court refused to grant him bail.

On Wednesday, former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren also moved the Supreme Court seeking relief challenging his arrest.

Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Hemant Soren apprised the SC bench that the Jharkhand High Court has reserved the order on Soren's petition challenging his arrest in the last week of February but the judgment has not been delivered yet. He sought an urgent hearing on the grounds of the ongoing Lok Sabha poll and also apprised the bench that the election would be over and he would remain inside the jail

Justice Khanna said that the Chief Justice secretariat would take a call and ask the advocate to inform it once.

In February the Jharkhand High Court reserved its decision on Soren's plea challenging his arrest. Soren in his plea before the High Court has claimed that his arrest was unwarranted and his remand in the matter was arbitrary and illegal.

Hemant Soren, who has filed the petition through advocate Pragya Baghel, called his arrest illegal and malafide. In the meantime, he has sought interim bail.

After a prolonged moment of speculation in the media and a hide-and-seek drama, former Jharkhand Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) Chairperson Hemant Soren was arrested by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in the land scam case in January.

The probe pertains to huge amounts of proceeds of crime generated by forging official records by showing 'fake sellers' and purchasers in the guise of forged or bogus documents to acquire huge parcels of land valued in crores. (ANI)