Former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren returns to jail as ED remands end

Ranchi: Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren was remanded to judicial custody at the Birsa Munda Central Jail until February 22 after the probe agency Enforcement Directorate (ED) produced him before a court after the end of his remand period on Thursday.

A civil court lawyer familiar with court’s development said “it was hardly a 20 minute formality when Soren was produced in the court by ED officials and the court forwarded him to judicial custody.”

Soren’s lawyer and advocate general of Jharkhand Rajeev Ranjan said he will soon apply for Soren’s bail. “There was no application from the ED side. We will file a bail application from his side soon,” Ranjan said.

Also Read: Hemant Soren arrested by ED in land scam money laundering probe

Earlier this month, ED officials took custody of Soren from Ranchi central jail and shifted him to their zonal office for questioning. Soren was housed at ED zonal office as the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act ( PMLA) court had rejected the former’s plea to shift him to central jail during the night in the course of the ED remand period.

The ED on January 31 arrested Soren, moments after he demitted the office of Jharkhand chief minister, under the PMLA in connection with its probe into an alleged land scam in the state.

Soren is allegedly the key beneficiary in the alleged land related irregularities in Ranchi, where a network of brokers and businessmen were working over the years to create fake deeds of landed parcels by forging records in the registrar offices and further selling them off.

On Thursday, as Soren was being dispatched o jail, hundreds of his supporters gathered in the court premises, shouting slogans in his defence. Earlier, Soren’s wife Kalpana Soren was allowed to meet him for half an hour in accordance ED’s remand protocol.

A civil court lawyer closely monitoring the case said that the investigation done in the case suggested that “there was no documentary evidence indicating Soren’s ownership over the land” but only “circumstantial evidences”.

“It will be too early to give any conclusive statement in the matter as the matter is under investigation and trial is yet to start. Related matters are also listed for hearing on February 27 before the Jharkhand High Court,” the lawyer who did not wish to be named said.