Today(on 29th July),The Supreme Court has dismissed the ED’s plea challenging bail granted to JMM leader Hemant Soren in a money laundering case related to an alleged land scam. Justices BR Gavai and KV Vishwanathan upheld the High Court’s earlier bail decision, providing relief to Soren.
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NEW DELHI: Today(on 29th July), the Supreme Court has dismissed the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) plea challenging the bail granted to Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Hemant Soren in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. This decision comes as a relief to Soren, who has been embroiled in legal battles over the past few months.
The bench, comprising Justices BR Gavai and KV Vishwanathan, upheld the decision of the High Court, which had earlier granted bail to Soren.
The bench observed-
“We are not inclined to alter the contested order; however, we clarify that the observations made should not affect the trial judge. As these observations pertain only to the bail decision, they should not influence the trial judge during the trial or any subsequent proceedings.”
The case has garnered significant attention, with Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju representing the ED. Raju argued that the High Court’s division bench had upheld Soren’s arrest with observations made in the ED’s favor. However, Justice Gavai, while refusing to entertain further arguments from the ASG, stated-
“We do not wish to make any further observations, as doing so might cause difficulties. The judgment provided by the learned single judge is well-reasoned.”
On June 28, the Jharkhand High Court granted bail to Soren, who subsequently took the oath as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand on July 4. Soren had previously resigned from his position shortly before his arrest by the ED on January 31.
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The High Court’s single judge bench, while granting bail, noted-
“Considering the overall context of the case, there is no indication that the petitioner is likely to commit a similar offense.”
In May, Soren faced another legal hurdle when a vacation bench of the Supreme Court dismissed his plea challenging his arrest by the ED in the land scam case. Soren had approached the apex court through a Special Leave Petition (SLP) against the Jharkhand High Court‘s May 3 decision, which denied him relief. During this period, Soren also sought interim bail to campaign in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections of 2024.
The Enforcement Directorate, defending its actions, informed the Supreme Court that Soren’s arrest occurred well before the announcement of the General Elections 2024.
“He was arrested long before the elections, so there is no question of granting interim bail.”
– the bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta were informed.
