Supreme Court Disposes of Former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren’s Plea in Money Laundering Case

On Friday, the Supreme Court disposed of a plea filed by former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren. The plea sought an instruction to the high court to issue its judgment on his petition contesting his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case.

A bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta noted that the petition has become moot since the high court issued its verdict on May 3. Additionally, Soren has already appealed against the high court's decision in the Supreme Court.

Soren had also sought interim bail for campaigning in the Lok Sabha elections till the high court delivers its verdict on his plea against arrest.

Soren moved the court on May 7 after the Jharkhand High Court dismissed his writ petition challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and refused him bail.

This marks the second instance where the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha chief has approached the Supreme Court to contest his arrest. Previously, he had appealed to the Supreme Court, but the court declined his plea, stating that he should seek recourse through the high court. The court reasoned that it wouldn't be suitable for it to directly address a petition contesting an arrest made by the Enforcement Directorate.

Soren was arrested on January 31 after over seven hours of questioning on money laundering charges arising from an alleged land scam.