ED moves Supreme Court against Jharkhand HC granting bail to CM Soren

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has moved the Supreme Court challenging the Jharkhand High Court's order granting bail to Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) executive president Hemant Soren in a money laundering case.

On June 28, a single judge bench of the high court had granted bail to the JMM leader.

On July 4, he took oath as the chief minister of Jharkhand.

Soren had resigned from the chief minister’s post shortly before his arrest on January 31 by the ED in the money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam.

In the high court, ED's counsel had argued that if Soren was released on bail, he might commit a similar offence and referred to cases against ED officers in the SC/ST police station.

“Though the conduct of the petitioner has been sought to be highlighted by the Enforcement Directorate on account of the First Information Report instituted by the petitioner against the officials of the ED, but on an overall conspectus of the case, there is no likelihood of the petitioner committing a similar nature of offence,” the high court had said in its order.

The HC order had also mentioned that the consequence of the findings recorded by the court “satisfies the condition as at section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 to the effect that there is reason to believe that the petitioner is not guilty of the offence as alleged.”

Soren was summoned multiple times by the ED before being questioned at his residence and subsequently arrested on January 31.

On July 4, in a video message Hemant Soran had said: “People intoxicated with power tried to silence me, but now the voice of Jharkhand’s residents will be strengthened.”

“I was arrested on January 31... I had given a message to you about how the opposition hatched a conspiracy against me and how they succeeded in their evil designs. They attempted to keep me in jail for a long time but I chose to take resort of the legal battle. You supported me on the streets. Finally, justice was delivered and I was released clean,” he had said.