The Supreme Court on Friday declined to intervene in the arrest of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case.
A bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna, MM Sundresh, and Bela M Trivedi directed senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Singhvi, representing Soren, to seek relief from the high court.
In his plea before the apex court, Soren has urged it to declare his arrest as unwarranted, arbitrary, and in violation of his fundamental rights. Soren in his plea also accused the ED of arresting him as part of a "well-orchestrated conspiracy" by the Centre ahead of the Lok Sabha elections due months from now.
Hemant Soren, aged 48, initially filed a petition in the state high court contesting his arrest in the case after stepping down as Jharkhand's chief minister on January 31. The money laundering investigation is connected to the alleged unlawful acquisition of significant land holdings and suspected involvement with the "land mafia."
On Thursday, the ED presented Soren before a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Ranchi. The court then ordered his remand to judicial custody for a day.