Ex-Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren Moves Supreme Court Against Arrest

New Delhi: Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Monday moved Supreme Court against Jharkhand High Court’s rejection of a petition challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in an alleged land scam, Live Law reported.

With Jharkhand set to go to polls in the last four phases, beginning May 13, Soren has sought an early hearing of his plea in the top court.

Senior counsel Kapil Sibal, representing Soren, mentioned the matter and urged a bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud — and also comprising justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra — to prioritise the case.

“Hemant Soren was arrested on January 31. We moved the high court on February 4. The high court reserved the judgment on February 28 but did not deliver the judgement. The phase of election starts in the state on the 13th of this month. So, we moved this court under Article 32, and this court issued notice last week. After the notice was issued, the high court delivers the judgment on May 3 rejecting his plea…Very unfortunate that rights are being trampled in this fashion,” Sibal said.

Sibal informed the CJI-led bench that another plea, seeking interim bail for Soren, will come up before a bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna on May 7.

The CJI asked Sibal to circulate an email regarding scheduling of hearings for both pending petitions, and said he would look into the request.

In its May 3 judgment dismissing Soren’s bail plea, the Jharkhand High Court stated: “The petitioner cannot wriggle out of the mess he created for himself. Like the last resort to a losing litigant, an anxious petitioner has raised the bogey of political vendetta.”

The high court further noted there is an abundance of documents that lay a foundation for the arrest and remand of the petitioner to police and judicial custody.