Supreme Court junks former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren's plea on High Court delay in deciding validity of arrest

On May 3, the Jharkhand High Court dismissed Soren's plea challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate, days after the Supreme Court agreed to hear his plea against the ED arrest in the week commencing from May 6.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday disposed of a plea by former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren against the delay by the Jharkhand High Court in deciding his petition challenging the arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in the land scam case.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta noted the High Court had delivered its judgement on May 3, so the instant plea has become infructuous and his separate special leave petition would be considered next week against the High Court's order.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal appeared for Soren.

On May 3, the Jharkhand High Court dismissed Soren's plea challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate, days after the Supreme Court agreed to hear his plea against ED arrest in the week commencing from May 6.

The judgement was reserved by the High Court on February 28.

The High Court, in its order, had said Soren can't wriggle out the mess he created for himself by raising a bogey of political vendetta.

Soren had moved the top court, citing the High Court's delay in pronouncing the verdict on his petition challenging his arrest by the ED and on April 29 it issued notice on the plea challenging his arrest.

Soren was being investigated for money laundering charges in connection with an illegal mining case, as well as an alleged land scam in Ranchi. He was arrested on January 31.

The Enforcement Directorate, investigating both cases, claimed that approximately Rs 8.5 acres of property in question constituted proceeds of crime.