NEW DELHI:
Former Chief Minister Hemant Soren has been granted bail on Friday by the High Court in a land scam case. The high court had on June 13 reserved its decision on Soren’s bail plea.
“Bail has been granted to Soren. The court has held that prima facie he is not guilty of the offence and there is no likelihood of the petitioner committing an offence when on bail,” Soren’s senior counsel Arunabh Chowdhury told PTI.
During the hearing, ED’s counsel SV Raju argued that if Soren is released on bail, he would commit a similar offence.
Meanwhile, celebrations began in Ranchi as party workers distributed at the residence of the former Jharkhand Chief Minister after his bail order.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was one of the first opposition leaders to react to Soren’s bail and hoped that Soren would soon begin public activities.
“I am very happy with the great development and am sure that he will start his public activities immediately. Welcome back, Hemant, amidst us,” Banerjee wrote on X.
Jharkhand High Court had, on May 3, turned down the plea by the former chief minister challenging his arrest.
Soren, the executive president of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on January 31 in connection with its investigation into the money laundering case.
