The Jharkhand High Court on Friday granted bail to former chief minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha Chief Hemant Soren in an alleged land scam case.
Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in January on charges related to an alleged land scam and money laundering. He resigned as chief minister following his arrest.
The investigation concerns the purported generation of substantial proceeds through the forgery of official records, involving fake sellers and buyers to acquire large parcels of land worth crores.
Soren had also filed an FIR under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, alleging that the ED’s searches at his residences were aimed at tarnishing his image and harassing him for being a tribal.
Subsequently, the Ranchi police issued a notice to ED officials to join the investigation. However, the Jharkhand High Court ordered no coercive action against ED officials after the agency filed a petition challenging Soren’s FIR.
The ED claims to have recovered Rs 36 lakh in cash and documents related to the investigation, alleging that Soren acquired 8.5 acres of land through fraudulent means.
Soren’s petition to attend the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly’s budget session was dismissed by the High Court on February 29.
(With ANI inputs)
