A Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Ranchi on Thursday remanded former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren to judicial custody for one day. Soren, who was arrested by Enforcement Directorate (ED) in money laundering case on Wednesday evening, was today produced in the Court of Principal District and Session Judge, Dinesh Rai amidst tight security.
The ED sought the remand of ten days of Soren as the ED counsel pleaded that the case involves money laundering and it requires probe. The court after hearing the arguments of both the sides reserved the order till Friday. The court will pronounce the order on Friday. The Court, however, forwarded Soren to one day judicial custody. Soren will be kept at Birsa Munda Central Jail.
“Hemant Soren has been sent to judicial custody for one day. A demand for 10 days remand was put but the order has been reserved and the next hearing will take place tomorrow," advocate Manish Singh said.
Soren was arrested on Wednesday by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case linked to a land scam on Wednesday night after the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader demitted the office of chief minister of the state.
The ED claims it has evidence that Soren is the key beneficiary in alleged land-related irregularities in Ranchi, where a network of brokers and businessmen were allegedly working over the years to create fake deeds of landed parcels by forging records in the registrar offices and further selling them off.
Meanwhile, Soren has also challenged his arrest by the ED before the Supreme Court. The top court agreed to hear his petition on Friday.
Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud allowed the urgent listing of Soren’s petition after senior counsel Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi mentioned the matter, arguing it is a case that will seriously impact the polity in India, requiring the highest court of the land to step in.
“This court will have to set out the contours of Section 19 in the PMLA. How can a man be arrested like this? All of those in the opposition will be arrested before the general election. This will seriously impact the polity,” Sibal told the CJI-led bench that also comprised justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the ED, said Soren’s lawyers had mentioned it before the Jharkhand High Court Chief Justice who had kept it for hearing on Thursday at 10.30 am.
Mehta said many people get arrested every day and wondered if all of them would come directly to the Supreme Court. “Everyone will be jailed before elections,” Sibal retorted.
The bench, which initially pointed to the matter pending before the HC, later agreed to hear it. CJI Chandrachud said he had not read the papers and would take it up Friday after going through them.