NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday disposed of a petition filed by former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren challenging the delay by the state high court in deciding his plea against his ED arrest in a money laundering case.
A two-judge bench of the top court, led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna and also comprising Justice Dipankar Datta, said the matter is now become infructuous, as it noted that the Jharkhand HC had on May 3 decided your petition refusing the bail. "The plea of your (Soren's) is disposed of now," the judge said.
It is to be noted that Soren has now also moved the apex court challenging the May 3 order of the state HC before the apex court, which is pending before it.
The matter in which Soren's plea was disposed of today, was that he 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, till April 30, it failed in pronouncing the same.
The former Jharkhand Chief Minister, Soren had moved the top court and sought bail and also challenged 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.
The Jharkhand HC bench, led by, acting chief justice S Chandrashekhar, who heard the matter, had reserved its verdict on February 28. It pronounced the same on May 3, Friday and rejected his plea.
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."