Money laundering case: SC rejects ED's plea challenging Hemant Soren's bail

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea filed by the Enforcement Directorate challenging a Jharkhand High Court order granting bail to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam reported news agency PTIA bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan said the high courts June 28 order was very well reasoned reported PTIWe are not inclined to interfere with the impugned order the bench said reported PTISoren the executive president of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha JMM had resigned as chief minister shortly before the ED arrested him on January 31 in the case After coming out of jail on bail in the money laundering case he returned as the chief minister of Jharkhand on July 4Opposing Jharkhand CM Hemant Sorens bail plea in the high court the ED had alleged that he misused his position as the chief minister to unlawfully acquire 886 acres of land in the Bargain area in the state capital Ranchi reported PTIJharkhand CM Hemant Sorens lawyer had contended that he was falsely implicated in the criminal case by the central agencyThe ED had claimed that during the probe Sorens media consultant Abhishek Prasad admitted that the JMM leader had instructed him to manipulate official records to change the ownership details of the plot reported PTIThe agency had also claimed that the original owner of the land Raj Kumar Pahan had tried to lodge a complaint about his land being usurped but it was never acted uponSoren was summoned multiple times by the ED before he was questioned at his residence and subsequently arrested on January 31Earlier during the hearing in the high court the EDs counsel had argued that if Soren was released on bail he might commit a similar offence and referred to cases against ED officers in the SCST police stationThough the conduct of the petitioner has been sought to be highlighted by the Enforcement Directorate on account of the First Information Report instituted by the petitioner against the officials of the ED but on an overall conspectus of the case there is no likelihood of the petitioner committing a similar nature of offence the high court had saidThe singlebench order had also mentioned that the consequence of the findings recorded by the court satisfies the condition as at section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act 2002 to the effect that there is reason to believe that the petitioner is not guilty of the offence as allegedSorens lawyer had argued strongly for his bail contending that he was falsely implicated in a criminal case by the central agencyWith inputs from PTI