Jharkhand Court Rejects Hemant Soren’s Bail In Land Scam Case

A special PMLA court here on Monday rejected former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren’s bail plea in an alleged land grab linked money laundering case in which he was arrested on January 31, official sources said.

In a linked development, the Supreme Court on Monday sought the Enforcement Directorate’s response by May 17 on Soren’s plea, challenging his arrest in this money laundering case.

Soren, in his plea before the top court, had challenged the May 3 order of the Jharkhand High Court dismissing his petition against the arrest. He had also sought interim bail to campaign in the Lok Sabha elections till the court delivered its verdict on his plea against arrest.

A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act court in Ranchi dismissed Soren’s bail plea on Monday.

Soren, a senior JMM leader, was arrested by the ED on January 31 under allegation that he illegally acquired an 8.86 acre land in Ranchi with the help of some state government officials and others.

In a separate development, the special court also extended the ED remand of state rural development minister Alamgir Alam’s former personal secretary Sanjeev Kumar Lal and Lal’s domestic help Jahangir Alam, by five more days.

The two were arrested by the agency last week as part of a money laundering investigation linked to alleged irregularities and exchange of bribes in the rural development department.

Alamgir Alam has been summoned by the agency to depose and record his statement at the ED office here on May 14.