GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 2nd Feb. The Supreme Court on Friday rejected the petition of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on charges of money laundering. The court stated that Soren has already filed a writ petition with the Jharkhand High Court, which is still pending. The Supreme Court advised him to request an expedited listing and resolution of the case.
Soren had previously approached the high court to challenge the summons issued by the ED. He was arrested on Wednesday night and was initially placed in one-day judicial custody. Today, the court extended his custody to five days after dismissing his petition.
In his petition, Soren argued that the agency had misused its power and acted in bad faith to destabilize a democratically-elected state government. He claimed that his arrest was illegal and without jurisdiction, alleging that the ED was acting under the influence of the central government to target him and his government.
The Enforcement Directorate has accused Soren of being involved in a land scam worth 600 crore rupees and laundering the proceeds. Meanwhile, Champai Soren, a veteran leader of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, has been sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Jharkhand.
Champai Soren met with Jharkhand Governor CP Radhakrishnan in Ranchi and presented a report showing support from 43 MLAs. He expressed confidence that the number would increase to 46-47. The Governor was also shown a video of all the MLAs supporting Mr. Soren.
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