Supreme Court Disposes Of Hemant Soren's Petition Seeking Interim Bail

The Supreme Court on Friday disposed of the petition of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren seeking a direction to the high court to deliver its verdict on his petition challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta observed that the petition has become infructuous as the Jharkhand High Court has delivered its judgment on May 3 and Mr Soren has already challenged the same in the Supreme Court.

The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader, who was arrested in January in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam, had also sought interim bail for campaigning in the Lok Sabha elections till the high court delivers its verdict on his plea against arrest.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who appeared for Mr Soren, said that the 48-year-old politician's special leave petition (SLP) challenging last week's verdict of the high court is coming up for hearing before the Supreme Court on May 13. He said both the petitions be heard together on May 13.

The bench, however, said Mr Soren's counsel can raise all the contentions in the SLP which will come up for hearing on May 13.

"You have challenged the high court order in another petition. You argue there," the bench said and disposed of his petition.

Mr Soren was arrested on January 31 shortly after he resigned as the Jharkhand chief minister. He is currently lodged in judicial custody at the Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi.

The central probe agency has alleged that "huge amounts of proceeds of crime" were generated by Mr Soren through manipulation of official records by showing dummy sellers and purchasers in the guise of forged/bogus documents to acquire huge parcels of land having value in crores of rupees.