Jharkhand Ex-Chief Minister Hemant Soren has been granted bail by the Jharkhand High Court in a high-profile money laundering case linked to a land scam.
Soren's lawyer, Arunabh Chowdhury, as quoted by PTI, said,
“Bail is granted. The court held, prima facie, Hemant Soren is not guilty, and there is no likelihood of the petitioner committing an offence on bail.”
Since there are currently no pending cases against Soren, this development clears the way for his release.
Soren Arrested By ED
On January 31, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)’s Chief Hemant Soren was arrested by ED. He was lodged in the Birsa Munda jail in Ranchi on charges of money laundering.
The Enforcement Department (ED) charged Soren with formulating a scheme that included fake transactions and forged documents in order to purchase 8.86 acres of valuable Ranchi prime land for crores.
In court, The ED's counsel, SV Raju, asserted that Soren had misused his position to manipulate land records and confirmed that witnesses had implicated him in the illegal land deal.
Additionally, Soren's media consultant, Abhishek Prasad, allegedly admitted that Soren had instructed him to tamper official records to change the ownership details of the land.
Soren Denies Allegations
Hemant Soren has consistently denied the charges, accusing the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of deliberately making him arrest to undermine the opposition ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
His lawyer, senior advocate Meenakshi Arora, argued that the case against Soren was politically motivated and fabricated.
Soren filed a bail petition before a special court in Ranchi on April 16, asserting that his arrest was part of a politically motivated conspiracy to coerce him into joining the BJP.
The Supreme Court had earlier denied Soren interim bail, which would have allowed him to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections.
Soren’s Resignation
Hemant Soren resigned as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand on January 31, just hours after the ED began questioning sessions and informed him of his impending arrest.
In the case of Arvind Kejriwal, He had not left his position as Delhi Chief Minister even after his arrest.
Soren insisted on resigning before accepting the arrest memo to avoid being the first sitting Chief Minister to be arrested.
His resignation paved the way for his loyalist, Champai Soren, to take over as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand.
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