The Jharkhand High Court Today (June 28th) granted bail to former Chief Minister Hemant Soren in a money laundering case linked to land scam. The high court had on June 13 reserved its decision on Soren’s bail plea.
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RANCHI: The Jharkhand High Court on Friday granted bail to former Chief Minister Hemant Soren in a high-profile money laundering case connected to a land scam. The decision to grant bail comes after the court had reserved its judgment on June 13.
Justice Rongon Mukhopadhyay allowed the bail application filed by Soren today.
Hemant Soren’s senior counsel, Arunabh Chowdhury, commented on the court’s ruling, stating,
“Bail has been granted to Soren. The court has held that prima facie he is not guilty of the offence and there is no likelihood of the petitioner committing an offence when on bail.”
Soren, who is the executive president of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), was apprehended by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on January 31 as part of their investigation into the money laundering allegations. Since his arrest, the 48-year-old politician has been held in Birsa Munda jail.
During the bail hearing, the Enforcement Directorate’s counsel, SV Raju, contended that granting Soren bail could result in him committing a similar offense again. This argument was part of the prosecution’s broader effort to prevent Soren from being released.
Despite the ED’s concerns, the court’s decision ultimately favored Soren, allowing him to be released on bail. This decision marks a significant development in the ongoing legal battle surrounding the former Chief Minister and the allegations of money laundering tied to a land scam.
The ED has been probing various cases in Jharkhand, including illegal mining, a 2009 MGNREGA scam, and the alleged illegal sale and purchase of an Army plot in Ranchi. During the investigation into the Army land, the name of Bhanu Pratap Prasad, then revenue sub-inspector of Bargaain Circle Office, surfaced and was eventually linked to Soren.
According to the ED, Prasad was part of a network involved in illegally acquiring properties through force and falsifying government records. Prasad was allegedly the custodian of several original registers, known as Panji 2, in which land records, especially ownership details, were falsified. During searches on April 13, 2023, the ED reported seizing 11 trunks of property documents and 17 Panji 2 registers from Prasad.
This information was shared with the then Chief Secretary of State, leading to an FIR being registered on June 1 of the previous year. This FIR led to the registration of the ECIR—ED’s equivalent of an FIR—in which Soren was arrested.
The ED alleges that Soren was among those who conspired with Bhanu Pratap to take over properties. The agency claims that details of the illegally acquired properties were found on Bhanu Pratap’s mobile phone. While Prasad was in custody, his phone’s data revealed several chats related to cash transactions and illegal benefits to others in acquiring land.
Responding to the ED summons, Hemant Soren stated in a letter that the 8.5 acres had been “wrongfully alleged to be owned” by him, asserting that the plot was actually ‘Bhuinhari’ land, which, under the Chotanagpur Tenancy Act, cannot be transferred to anyone.
In his plea, Hemant Soren suggested a pattern in the ED’s actions, claiming that the agency is targeting opposition political leaders with “fabricated allegations.”
Click Here to Read Previous Reports on Hemant Soren
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