Money laundering case: SC rejects ED's plea challenging Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren's bail

Hemant Soren. Pic/PTI

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea filed by the Enforcement Directorate challenging a Jharkhand High Court order granting bail to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam, reported news agency PTI.

A bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan said the high court's June 28 order was "very well reasoned", reported PTI.

"We are not inclined to interfere with the impugned order," the bench said, reported PTI.

Soren, the executive president of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), had resigned as chief minister shortly before the ED arrested him on January 31 in the case. After coming out of jail on bail in the money laundering case, he returned as the chief minister of Jharkhand on July 4.

Opposing Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren's bail plea in the high court, the ED had alleged that he misused his position as the chief minister to "unlawfully" acquire 8.86 acres of land in the Bargain area in the state capital Ranchi, reported PTI.

Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren's lawyer had contended that he was falsely implicated in the criminal case by the central agency.

The ED had claimed that during the probe, Soren's media consultant Abhishek Prasad admitted that the JMM leader had instructed him to manipulate official records to change the ownership details of the plot, reported PTI.

The agency had also claimed that the original owner of the land, Raj Kumar Pahan, had tried to lodge a complaint about his land being usurped but it was never acted upon.

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

Earlier during the hearing in the high court, the 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.

The single-bench 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's lawyer had argued strongly for his bail, contending that he was falsely implicated in a criminal case by the central agency.

(With inputs from PTI)