Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader and former Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Hemant Soren, has been remanded to a five-day custody by the High Court in connection with an alleged land scam case. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Hemant Soren following multiple summons and extensive questioning on Wednesday night. Previously, a special PMLA court in Ranchi had ordered him to one-day judicial custody.
The ED reported the recovery of over Rs 36 lakh in cash and documents relevant to the ongoing land scam investigation during Soren’s arrest. The agency asserted that the former CM had allegedly acquired 8.5 acres of land as part of criminal proceeds. A raid conducted on April 13, 2023, exposed property-related records in the possession of Revenue Sub-Inspector Bhanu Pratap Prasad. The ED revealed that Bhanu Pratap Prasad and others were part of a large syndicate engaged in corrupt practices related to acquiring properties through force or false deeds.
In response, Hemant Soren moved the Supreme Court challenging his ED arrest, but the court directed him to approach the concerned High Court. The Supreme Court bench, comprising justices Sanjiv Khanna, MM Sundresh, and Bela M. Trivedi, declined to entertain the petition, suggesting that the petitioner approach the jurisdictional High Court. The court acknowledged that Soren could urge the High Court to expedite the case. Despite Soren’s argument, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing him, acknowledged that courts are open to everyone, emphasizing the constitutional role of High Courts.
Soren contested the ED’s summons as illegal under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, seeking to quash the impugned summons and related proceedings. He claimed constant harassment by the ED, alleging misuse of authority and powers by the probe agency on behalf of political authorities. The investigation involves the alleged forgery of official records to acquire substantial land parcels through fake transactions, with the proceeds estimated in crores.