New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday gave two days to the Enforcement Directorate to file its reply on a plea by former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren seeking interim bail for campaigning amid the ongoing Lok Sabha elections as a result there is no relief for Soren now.
Additional solicitor general SV Raju, representing the ED, submitted before a bench comprising justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta that they have strong evidence to connect Soren with the patch of land in contention. Raju insisted that there is strong evidence against him and his regular bail was also rejected. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Soren, argued that the land in question was never in his client’s possession and urged the court to grant him interim bail to campaign during the remaining phases of the general elections.
The bench queried Raju on the aspect of interim bail for Soren. Raju replied that he was arrested long ago and four phases of elections are already over and stressed that he was directly connected with the land. Sibal said there is no material to show that his client is connected with the land.
The bench told Sibal that the court will have to be prima satisfied with his submission and the judges’ will also have to hear the ED. After hearing submissions, the apex court has scheduled the matter for further hearing on May 21, and asked the ED to file its response in two days.
The probe against Soren is in relation to an 8.86-acre plot of land in Ranchi that the ED has alleged was illegally acquired by him. The money laundering investigation stems from multiple FIRs registered by Jharkhand Police in land "scam" cases against several people, including state government officials.
Read more: The Tale Of Two Bails – One That Came Through, And The One That Did Not
