Jharkhand HC grants bail to ex-CM Hemant Soren in land scam case

About six months after his arrest, Jharkhand’s former Chief Minister and JMM leader Hemant Soren was granted bail by the state high court today in the alleged land scam case, Indian Express reported. 

Soren was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on January 31 on charges of money laundering in connection with the alleged illegal possession of 8.36 acres of land. In the lead up to the arrest, he had resigned as CM, giving the charge to transport minister Champai Soren. The arrest had come months ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, with the opposition accusing the Modi government of crackdown.   

The matter had come to light after the arrest of Badhgaain land revenue inspector Bhanu Pratap Prasad last year for allegedly being a part of a land-grab syndicate that falsified original records. The ED had accused Soren of conniving with Pratap to take over properties, citing “details” obtained from the latter’s phone. 

The former CM denied the allegations,  saying that the land was not transferable and he had been “wrongfully” accused.

Newslaundry earlier reported that complaints were filed against Sudhir Chaudhary for making purportedly offensive remarks on his primetime show after Soren’s arrest. Read here.

Complaining about the media is easy. Why not do something to make it better? Support independent media and subscribe to Newslaundry today.