The Jharkhand High Court on Wednesday heard the arguments of the Enforcement Directorate challenging the bail plea moved by former chief minister Hemant Soren. The ED counsel challenging the bail plea of the former CM pleaded that former CM Soren was instrumental in illegally acquiring land at Bargain in the capital.

Challenging the bail plea, ED counsel SV Raju pleaded that Soren had acquired the land in 2009–10 and a boundary wall was constructed to secure its possession. Earlier, Soren had filed a petition before the high court on May 27, seeking bail in a money-laundering case linked to an alleged land scam.

Soren's counsel and senior advocate of Jharkhand High Court Kapil Sibal had pleaded before Jharkhand High Court and argued for granting bail to the former CM contending that the JMM leader had been falsely implicated in a criminal case by the ED. The court had asked ED to respond to the matter on June 12. The hearing will continue on Thursday.

The ED's counsel said the federal agency had also conducted independent surveys of the land and on questioning, the caretaker informed that the land belongs to Soren.
Besides, the ED said it has also recovered several documents which show that land records were interpolated to favour Soren.

Earlier, on Monday Supreme Court senior advocate Kapil Sibal argued for the grant of bail to former chief minister Hemant Soren before the Jharkhand High Court, contending that the JMM leader has been falsely implicated in a criminal case by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Sibal had argued that Soren has been wrongfully accused of usurping an 8.86-acre plot in Bargain, Ranchi, and that this act does not constitute an offence under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, for which Soren has been detained.
Sibal countered that the original landowners never complained or approached authorities when their land was allegedly taken. He noted that this act of forcible eviction is said to have occurred in 2009–10, but the report was only made in 2023.

Sibal argued that even if all allegations against Soren were true, it would be a civil matter of forcible eviction, not a criminal case.

He suggested that the criminal case was motivated by an ulterior motive to keep Soren behind the bars. He further claimed that the ED tampered with evidence and created false documents to implicate Soren.

The original landowner, Raj Kumar Pahan, has already filed for restoration of the land in his name, which is being processed.