RANCHI: The Jharkhand High Court on Friday denied the petition filed by jailed former Chief Minister Hemant Soren seeking provisional bail for attending ‘shraddha’ ritual of his uncle who passed away on last Saturday.
The Court, however, allowed Soren to attend the last rites of his uncle for few hours under police custody. Refusing to grant him provisional bail, the court gave strict instructions that while attending the ritual to be held on May 6, Hemant Soren will not talk to the media nor hold any political discussion with anybody.
Soren, who is currently lodged in Birsa Munda Central jail after being arrested Enforcement Directorate on January 31, had approached Jharkhand High Court for provisional bail after the Special PMLA Court in Ranchi refused to grant him the same.
In his appeal, he had sought provisional bail for three days from the High Court. In the petition, he had requested the court to allow him to attend the ‘Shraddha’ of his uncle.
Notably, elder brother of JMM patriarch Shibu Soren, Rajaram Soren, passed away following prolonged illness early in the morning on April 28. Earlier on Friday, the Jharkhand HC also dismissed Hemant Soren’s petition challenging his arrest by the ED in a money laundering case linked to a land scam.