New Delhi. The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Enforcement Directorate, ED, on the interim bail plea of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who is jailed in a money laundering case. The court has sought reply by May 6. The Supreme Court also made it clear that the High Court can meanwhile give its verdict on the petition challenging the arrest of Hemant Soren. It is noteworthy that Hemant Soren has filed a petition in the High Court, on which the decision has not been taken yet.
Meanwhile, on Monday, the bench of Justice Sanjeev Khanna and Justice Dipankar Dutta heard the petition of Hemant Soren. Hemant Soren has filed a petition in the Supreme Court alleging that the High Court had reserved the verdict on February 28 after completing the hearing on his petition challenging the arrest but has not yet given its verdict. Hemant Soren has raised the issue of High Court not giving its verdict and has demanded interim bail from the Supreme Court.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Hemant Soren, told the Supreme Court on Monday that even if we look at the entire ED case, there is no material against him, yet he has been arrested. When asked by the Supreme Court, Sibal said that the High Court has not yet given its decision. Sibal said that he is seeking interim bail from the court. After this, the court issued a notice to the ED and ordered to put the case up for hearing in the week starting from May 6. It is noteworthy that ED had arrested Hemant Soren on January 31 on charges of money laundering in the land purchase case. Soren has been in jail since then.