PMLA court extends ED remand for Ex-Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren by three days

NEW DELHI: A PMLA court in Ranchi has granted a three-day extension to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) remand for former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren in connection with an alleged money laundering case.
Earlier, the Jharkhand High Court postponed the hearing on a petition filed by the arrested Hemant Soren against the ED until February 27. The court instructed the central agency to submit a consolidated affidavit.
Advocate General Rajeev Ranjan mentioned that they contested the arrest of the former chief minister, and the high court permitted the submission of their amended application.
"ED has been directed to provide a consolidated reply. The court has set February 27 as the date for final disposal. The amendment to our application has been allowed. Now, the hearing will focus on the events leading to Hemant Soren's arrest. This is a positive development; now, we can present all the facts before the court," said Ranjan, Soren's counsel.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal presented arguments on behalf of Soren, while Additional Solicitor General SV Raju represented the central agency.
"In our amendment prayer, we have stated that the entire process initiated by the ED against Hemant Soren is motivated by malice. There was no crime, but an inquiry was ongoing against a sitting chief minister. ED acted beyond its power. We have challenged the entire proceeding by the ED. It is illegal," added the Advocate General.

On February 5, the high court had directed the central agency to file its response to Soren's petition. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader was arrested by the ED on January 31 in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged land fraud.