NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday in its order sought a response from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after hearing an appeal filed by former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, seeking immediate interim bail in a money laundering case.
A two-judge bench of the top court, led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta issued notice to the ED and sought its response by May 6, also the next date of hearing in the case.
Soren had moved the apex court seeking interim bail, by alleging that the Jharkhand High Court had on February 28, 2024, had reserved his plea, but so far, it failed in pronouncing the same. The top court also said that the HC may pronounce its verdict on his plea challenging his arrest in the case.
The former Jharkhand Chief Minister, Soren had moved the apex court and sought bail and also challeged the delay by the state HC in pronouncing the verdict on his petition that challenged his arrest by the ED.
His lawyer, Kapil Sibal, said that he had earlier approached the Jharkhand HC challenging the arrest. The matter was heard on Feb 27-28 and the judgment, which was reserved, had not been delivered yet.
"The man (Soren) is now inside the jail and if it will be like this, then the elections may be over. If we say something more then it will be like we are attacking judiciary," he said.
In another development in the case, Soren's bail plea, was rejected by a PMLA Court in Ranchi on Saturday, as the jailed former chief minister sought 13-day bail citing the death of his uncle, Raja Ram Soren, earlier in the day. His another plea, also scheduled to be heard on May 1 by a court in Ranchi.
The Jharkhand HC bench, led by, acting chief justice S Chandrashekhar, who heard the matter, had reserved olits verdict on February 28.
Soren, was in jail, since he was arrested by the ED on January 31 in connection with his alleged involvement in a money laundering case. He, however claimed innocence in the case and said that he was neither involved in money laundering case nor in "any illegal act."