Jharkhand: Ex-CM Hemant Soren disentitled for bail, ED tells Supreme Court

The Enforcement Directorate told the Supreme Court that former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren who is in judicial custody since his arrest in a money laundering case related to an alleged land scam, is disentitled for a bail.

The ED said, "If Soren is granted interim bail for poll campaigning, then all incarcerated politicians would seek similar treatment, claiming that they are a class of their own...right to campaign for an election is neither a fundamental right nor a constitutional right and not even a legal right.”

It may be mentioned that the Supreme Court will hear Soren’s plea for interim bail for election campaigning on May 21. The matter will be heard by a vacation bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma.

The ED in its reply stated that the “petitioner is disentitled to seek any interim bail as he has foisted false cases on the investigating officers of ED under the SC/ST Act to prevent and obstruct the authorities under the PMLA from discharging their duties.”
 
Furthermore, the ED also said that “the petitioner managed to get notices under Section 41A issued to the officials of the Directorate of Enforcement who were involved in investigation in a bid to impede the investigation against him. Vide order dated 21.03.2024, the Hon'ble High Court observed that it was not desirable on the part of the opposite party (The state of Jharkhand) to issue any notice under section 41 A of CrPC directing the official of the Directorate of Enforcement to appear personally present before the office Incharge of Gonda P.S in connection with SC/ST P.S.”