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The Supreme Court rejected his interim bail plea in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam in Jharkhand. The court criticized Soren for not disclosing crucial facts about the trial court’s cognizance of the chargesheet.
On Wednesday, May 22, the Supreme Court rejected the former Jharkhand Chief Minister’s interim bail plea. Soren, represented by Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, was criticized for not disclosing that the trial court had acknowledged the chargesheet. Sibal withdrew the petition following the court’s warning.
The Supreme Court’s vacation bench, including Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma, warned that discussing the case in detail would be harmful to Soren. The court remarked, “We expected honesty, but you hid important facts.”
Court’s Criticism and Further Developments
The court criticized Soren’s defense, stating, “Your conduct is not without fault.” Despite Sibal’s defense that Soren was unaware of the petitions due to being in custody, the court held Soren responsible. Sibal then withdrew the plea.
Previously, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed the Supreme Court that Soren’s January 31 arrest was upheld by the Jharkhand High Court, and his regular bail request was denied on May 13. The ED accused Soren of making large amounts of money through fraudulent land deals.
Previous Supreme Court Hearing
On May 13, the Supreme Court had already denied Soren’s interim bail request. Soren sought bail to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections, citing the recent release of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as an example. The court asked for the ED’s response by May 17.
The hearing, initially set for May 20, was moved to May 17 at Sibal’s request due to the upcoming elections.
