Hemant Soren takes legal battle to SC after High Court dismisses plea against ED arrest

• Hemant Soren moves SC challenging the Jharkhand High Court's dismissal of his plea against ED arrest
• The matter was brought under CJI led bench urging for a speedy consideration of Soren’s appeal
• Another petition seeking interim bail for Soren is slated for hearing before a bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna on Tuesday

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has escalated his legal challenge to the Supreme Court after the Jharkhand High Court rejected his plea against his arrest by the ED in an alleged land scam case. This move by Soren comes just ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in Jharkhand, scheduled to begin on May 13.

Senior counsel Kapil Sibal, representing Soren, brought the matter before a bench led by CJI Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, urging for a speedy consideration of Soren’s appeal against the high court’s recent ruling.

Sibal informed the bench about another petition seeking interim bail for Soren, slated for hearing before a bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna on Tuesday (May 7). In response, the CJI has asked Sibal to circulate an email outlining the scheduling of hearings for both pending petitions, assuring a review of the request.

Earlier, on April 29, the Supreme Court issued a notice to the ED on Soren’s plea seeking interim bail in the money laundering case filed by the agency.

By its judgment on May 3, the high court dismissed Soren’s bail plea, noting: “The petitioner cannot wriggle out of the mess he created for himself. It added there is an abundance of documents that lay a foundation for the arrest and remand of the petitioner to police and judicial custody.