Supreme Court closes ex-Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren's plea in money laundering case

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday disposed of a plea filed by 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 in a money laundering case.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta observed that the petition has become infructuous (lacking purpose) as the high court has delivered its judgement on May 3 and Soren has already challenged the same in the apex 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.

"This has become infructuous," the bench told senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Arunabh Chowdhury, who were appearing for Soren.

Sibal said Soren's special leave petition (SLP) challenging the last week's verdict of the high court is coming up for hearing before the top court on May 13.

He said both the petitions be heard together on May 13.

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

"Forget that he is a former chief minister. I (Soren) have a right as a citizen to be dealt with fairly by the high court," Sibal said.

"You have challenged the high court order in another petition. You argue there," the bench said, while disposing of his plea.

On April 29, the apex court had said it would be open for the high court to pronounce its verdict on Soren's plea challenging his arrest in the case. The order was reserved by the high court on February 28.

In this case, the Enforcement Directorate is probing the alleged "huge amounts of proceeds of crime generated by 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''.

Soren, in his plea filed through advocate Pragya Baghel, had said there has been a pattern that has emerged and it is reflected in the actions of the ED for prosecuting and targeting individuals, especially political leaders belonging to the opposition, on the basis of "cooked-up allegations".

"Knowing that the elections are around the corner and with a malafide intent of paralysing the leaders of opposition political parties, of which Hemant Soren being the leader of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) was arrested on January 31, 2024," his plea said.

Soren was arrested on January 31 in the case after he resigned as Jharkhand chief minister, and party loyalist and state transport minister Champai Soren was named as his successor.