Hemant Soren moves Supreme Court challenging ED arrest, will withdraw petition from high court

Former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren on Thursday moved the Supreme Court against his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate and the top court agreed to hear his petition on Friday. On behalf of Hemant Soren, lawyers Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi sought an urgent hearing on the matter on Thursday. They said they would withdraw the petition from the Jharkhand high court. On Wednesday night, Hemant moved the Jharkhand high court against the ED arrest and his plea was scheduled to be heard by the high court on Thursday 10.30am.

"How can a man be arrested like this," Kapil Sibal said in the Supreme Court. "Arrest memo says 10 o' clock, they say arrested at 5pm. Very serious matter," Sibal said adding that before election, every opposition leader will be getting arrested.

'ED has come to arrest me after spending whole day in interrogation'

Hemant Soren released a video ahead of his arrest in which he said that the ED decided to take him in custody after spending the entire day in interrogation. "They are accusing me of something that is not at all related to me. They are accusing me of land scam but that land never gets sold. They did not find any evidence against me. They raided in Delhi and found nothing. Today they came and spent the entire day questioning. They know that courts are shut in the evening and hence they announce their decision to arrest me in the evening," Hemant Soren said.

"They will arrest me but I am not scared. Because I am the son of Shibu Soren. Fighting is in my blood. I have no connection with the land. I have been implicated based on fake papers," Hemant Soren said.

Like Bihar, Jharkhand is another victim

Hemant Soren said Jharkhand has been made the second victim of the BJP's conspiracy after Bihar. "But Hemant Soren will reside in the hearts of every people in Jharkhand. The truth will win," Hemant Soren said.