Former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren
| Photo Credit: PTI
Jharkhand High Court on June 28 granted bail to former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in a land grab case.
The ED had arrested Mr. Soren under the PMLA on January 31 after he submitted his resignation as Chief Minister. He was lodged in Birsa Munda jail, Hotwar, under judicial custody. Prime accused and former revenue department sub-inspector Bhanu Pratap Prasad, Mohammed Saddam Hussain and Afshar Ali were also arrested.
The Central agency had questioned him for several hours at his official residence in Ranchi in connection with the land scam case.
The probe against Mr. Soren pertains to an 8.86-acre plot of land in Ranchi that the ED has alleged was illegally acquired by him.
He had moved a bail petition before a special court in Ranchi on April 16, alleging that his arrest by the ED was politically motivated and part of a well-orchestrated conspiracy to coerce him to join the BJP.
The Supreme Court had earlier refused interim bail for Mr. Soren to campaign for the Lok Sabha election.
Hemant Soren case | All you need to know
The ED had initiated investigation in five cases of land scam with similar modus operandi on the basis of multiple FIRs registered by the Jharkhand Police and the Kolkata Police against several persons including government officials.
The agency had seized ₹1 crore in cash and 100 live bullet rounds following raids in Ranchi as part of the alleged land grab-linked money laundering investigation against the former chief minister.
The investigation had revealed that land mafia active in Jharkhand is involved in tampering of land records in Ranchi and Kolkata. Original land records of ownerships are either tampered or concealed to facilitate unlawful acquisition, possession and use of landed properties. Subsequently, on the basis of forged land records, such land parcels are sold to other persons.
The ED had earlier carried out 55 searches and nine surveys in such cases and incriminating evidence such as forged seals of the Land Revenue Department, forged land deeds, records of distribution of proceeds of crime, photographs, evidence of bribing government officials were seized.
