The Jharkhand High Court granted bail on Friday to former Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha Chief Hemant Soren in connection with an alleged land scam case.
Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in January on charges related to an alleged land scam and money laundering, leading to his resignation as chief minister. The investigation focuses on the alleged generation of substantial proceeds through the forgery of official records, involving fake sellers and buyers to acquire large parcels of land worth crores.
Soren had filed an FIR under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, claiming that the ED’s searches at his residences were intended to tarnish his image and harass him as a tribal leader. Following this, Ranchi police issued a notice to ED officials to join the investigation. However, the Jharkhand High Court ordered no coercive action against ED officials after the agency challenged Soren’s FIR.
The ED alleges that Soren acquired 8.5 acres of land through fraudulent means and claims to have recovered Rs 36 lakh in cash and documents related to the investigation.
Soren’s petition to attend the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly’s budget session was dismissed by the High Court on February 29.