High Court Orders Release of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha Leader, Citing Lack of Evidence and Ambiguity in ED’s Claims
Hemant Soren, former Chief Minister of Jharkhand and chief of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha party, was granted bail today by the High Court in a land scam case. Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on January 31 on money laundering charges, accused of acquiring 8.86 acres of land in Ranchi worth crores through manipulation of records, fictitious transactions, and forged documents.
The High Court granted bail to Soren on a bail bond of ₹ 50,000 and two sureties of the same amount each. The court held that Soren was not guilty and there was no likelihood of him committing an offense while on bail. The court also stated that the ED’s claim of Soren’s involvement in the acquisition and possession of the land seemed ambiguous.
Soren has repeatedly denied the charges against him and accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of framing his arrest to derail the opposition. The bail order comes after setbacks last month, including the Ranchi special court denying him bail and the High Court rejecting a plea to quash his arrest. The Supreme Court also refused interim bail to Soren, who had sought it to campaign for his party and the Congress-led INDIA opposition bloc in the Lok Sabha polls.
Soren resigned as Chief Minister on January 31, hours after the ED began questioning him and informed him of his impending arrest. He refused to accept the arrest memo till he had quit his post, in order to avoid being the first sitting Chief Minister to be arrested.
