SC Disposes Hemant Soren's petition challenging his arrest as 'infructuous'

Former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren

The Supreme Court on Friday disposed the plea by former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren challenging his arrest and termed it "infructuous".

Soren had filed the plea after the high court didn’t pass an order on his bail plea despite reserving it in February.  The court said the challenge to the  Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrest can be raised in a fresh petition against the HC judgment.

Soren moved the court on May 7 after the Jharkhand High Court dismissed his writ petition challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and refused him bail.

This is the second time the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha chief moved the SC challenging his arrest. He had earlier moved the Supreme Court.  The court had earlier rejected Soren's plea challenging his arrest and said he should approach the high court, as it would not be appropriate for it to directly entertain a plea challenging an arrest by the ED.

Soren was arrested on January 31 after over seven hours of questioning on money laundering charges arising from an alleged land scam.

Before his arrest, Soren resigned as the Jharkhand chief minister and his senior party colleague, Champai Soren, took over from him.

Soren's arrest is linked to a "huge racket of illegal change of ownership of land by the mafia" in Jharkhand, the ED has said. It has, so far, arrested 14 people in the case, including 2011-batch IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan, who was the director of the state's social welfare department and Ranchi deputy commissioner.