Special PMLA court denies Hemant Soren's interim bail in land scam case

NEW DELHI: Former Jharkhand chief minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chairperson Hemant Soren's interim bail plea in a land scam case was refused on Saturday by the Special PMLA Court in Ranchi .
Soren had requested a 13-day interim bail from the court to attend his uncle's funeral, but the court rejected his plea.
Earlier in the week, Soren had also approached the Supreme Court seeking relief against his arrest.
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Soren, informed the SC bench that although the Jharkhand High Court had reserved its decision on Soren's petition challenging his arrest in February, the judgment had not yet been delivered. He urged an urgent hearing due to the ongoing Lok Sabha elections and expressed concern that by the time the elections concluded, Soren would still be in custody.
Justice Khanna responded that the Chief Justice secretariat would make a decision and instructed the advocate to inform it accordingly.
In his petition before the High Court, Soren asserted that his arrest was unwarranted and his detention arbitrary and illegal. He labeled his arrest as illegal and malicious and concurrently sought interim bail.
Following intense speculation in the media and a prolonged hide-and-seek scenario, Soren was apprehended by the ED in January in connection with the land scam case.
The investigation centers on significant amounts of proceeds of crime generated through the forgery of official records, involving 'fake sellers' and purchasers through falsified or counterfeit documents to acquire vast parcels of land valued at crores.
(With inputs from agency)