The special PMLA court here sent former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case, to judicial custody for a day, lawyers said. The ED sought 10 days remand for Soren. The court reserved its order for Friday.
Advocate General Rajeev Ranjan, who appeared for Soren, said outside the court that the JMM leader was sent to judicial custody till an order was passed. “The entire case is driven by wrong intentions. This is a conspiracy to topple the government. There is no evidence in the entire proceedings against the former chief minister. His arrest was made when proceedings were on to record his statement, which is illegal,” he said.
Soren was arrested on Wednesday night after a seven-hour grilling by the ED in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. He resigned as the chief minister before that. The JMM leader was taken to the Birsa Munda Birsa Munda Central Jail here.
As the ex-chief minister was brought outside the court building on the way to the jail, his supporters raised slogans like “Hemant Soren Zindabad”.
Soren was informed about his arrest at about 5 pm last evening but he was “reluctant” to receive the order as he first wanted to submit his resignation from the chief minister’s post, the Enforcement Directorate claimed on Thursday.
It also alleged that a dozen land parcels in Ranchi measuring about 8.5 acres in total are in “illegal possession, occupation and use” of the JMM leader and are proceeds of crime under the anti-money laundering law.
“He (Soren) was informed about his arrest at around 5 pm. However, he was reluctant to receive the orders before he tendered his resignation from the post of chief minister to the Hon’ble Governor, Jharkhand,” the Central agency informed a special PMLA court while seeking his custody.
The agency said in its arrest order that Soren was allowed to inform his wife Kalpana Soren about his arrest at 5 pm.
The agency, explaining the grounds of arrest, said it recorded statements of several persons under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and this exercise “established” that 12 landed properties, situated next to each other, and measuring 8.5 acres in total, were under “illegal acquisition, possession and use of Soren and this has been kept concealed by him (Soren)”.