Jharkhand: Former CM Hemant Soren has been granted bail

Jharkhand: Former Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who was arrested in January on money laundering charges, has been granted bail by the High Court.

The Enforcement Directorate had arrested Mr. Soren, accusing the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader of orchestrating a scheme to manipulate records through fictitious transactions and forged documents to acquire a large tract of land worth several crores of rupees.

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Mr. Soren resigned as Chief Minister on January 31, just hours after the Enforcement Directorate began a lengthy questioning session and informed him of his impending arrest. However, Mr. Soren refused to accept the arrest memo until he had resigned from his position, aiming to avoid becoming the first sitting Chief Minister to be arrested.

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has received bail from the High Court

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has received bail from the High Court. “Bail is granted. The court found, prima facie, that Hemant Soren is not guilty, and there is no likelihood of the petitioner committing an offence on bail,” said Mr. Soren’s counsel, Arunabh Chowdhury, to news agency PTI. Given that there are no other cases against him at this time, Mr. Soren may be released soon. The bail was reportedly granted upon payment of two sureties of ₹ 50,000 each.

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The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on January 31 on money laundering charges. The ED accused him of orchestrating a scheme to manipulate records through fictitious transactions and forged documents to acquire 8.86 acres of land in Ranchi worth crores.

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Mr. Soren has consistently denied the charges against him and accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of framing his arrest, which occurred weeks before the Lok Sabha election, in an attempt to derail the opposition.

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The bail order today follows setbacks last month. Initially, the Ranchi special court denied Mr. Soren bail. Subsequently, the High Court rejected a plea to quash his arrest, citing an “abundance of documents that lay the foundation for the arrest and remand of the petitioner.” Mr. Soren was also told he could not “wiggle out of the mess he created for himself.”