Former Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Hemant Soren, was granted bail by the High Court on Friday in a land scam case. The High Court had reserved its decision on Soren’s bail plea on June 13.
“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.
The Enforcement Directorate’s counsel, SV Raju, had argued during the hearing that releasing Soren on bail could lead to him committing a similar offence. Despite this, the court decided in favor of granting bail to the former Chief Minister.
Following the bail order, celebrations broke out in Ranchi. Party workers gathered at Soren’s residence, distributing sweets and expressing their joy over the court’s decision.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was among the first opposition leaders to react to the news, expressing her hope that Soren would soon resume his 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.
NCP-SCP supremo Sharad Pawar also welcomed the High Court’s decision, asserting that the truth would ultimately prevail. “Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren was jailed in a politically motivated case. The 149-day struggle got justice today. Bail granted to Hemant Soren by the court has strengthened the feeling that the victory of truth is not far away. We will continue to demand from the NDA government that it should not take any action out of vindictiveness and should take efforts to ensure that democracy flourishes as per the constitution,” Pawar wrote on X.
The Jharkhand High Court had previously turned down Soren’s plea challenging his arrest on May 3. 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.
