Ranchi: Ex-Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who was arrested in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam on Wednesday, will be in judicial custody till Friday. The PMLA court, where he was produced on the day, will give its verdict on February 2.
Enforcement Directorate earlier requested 10 days of police remand for ex-Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who assumed office in 2019. He was quizzed for over six hours by the Enforcement Directorate officials on Wednesday after he skipped the previous nine summons.
Advocate Rajeev Ranjan, representing former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, alleged 'political vendetta.' "We have argued that the entire case is motivated and has been designed to demolish or to bring down a democratically elected government. The (former) CM (Hemant Soren) was picked up from the Governor's house. The entire process is vitiated and illegal, and there's absolutely no evidence against Hemant Soren."
Soren, who is the executive president of the JMM, was arrested after a seven-hour grilling by the ED at his official residence here on Wednesday night. Soren was produced before the PMLA court here amid heavy security deployment.
He was earlier taken to the ED office for a medical check-up, officials said. According to news agency PTI, Soren's petition will be heard by the bench of Acting Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Anubha Rawat Choudhary.
The ED arrested him as the central anti-money laundering agency was not satisfied with his answers to queries. A Bench presided over by Chief Justice of India (CJI), DY Chandrachud, agreed to list the matter for hearing on Friday after a mention was made on Soren’s behalf by senior advocate Kapil Sibal.
Seeking an urgent hearing, Sibal questioned the manner in which the ED sleuths arrested the sitting Chief Minister of a state. “This affects the polity of the country. How can a man be arrested like this,” he said.
“We will keep it for tomorrow,” CJI Chandrachud responded. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta apprised the apex court that a similar petition had been instituted by Soren against his arrest and the ED’s probe before the Jharkhand High Court.
Sibal responded that the plea before the High Court would be withdrawn. Soren tendered his resignation to the Governor on Wednesday, after the ED, which had been questioning the Chief Minister at his residence since the afternoon, informed him that it was arresting him.
Hemant Soren, who was reportedly 'missing,' resurfaced in Ranchi late on Tuesday, reaching his Kanke Road residence at around 1:50 p.m.The ED had been on the lookout for him in Delhi since Monday morning.They searched for him at several places including his Delhi residence and Jharkhand Bhawan, but did not find him.
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