Ex-Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren Comes Out On Bail, Decries ‘Conspiracy Hatched Against Us’

The ED's case against Soren involves allegations that he forcefully occupied 8.5 acres of land in Jharkhand in collusion with Bhanu Pratap Prasad, a revenue sub-inspector in Ranchi.

Former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren comes out of Birsa Munda Central Jail upon his release after Jharkhand High Court granted him bail in a money laundering case linked to a land scam.

Source : PTI Images

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Friday walked out of jail after five months. Soren, who was granted bail by the Jharkhand High Court in a land scam case, addressed the media soon after he was released from jail.

He remarked, "After five months, I have come out of jail legally. The last 5 months remained worrisome for Jharkhand. The whole country knows why I went to jail..." 

The court, according to a PTI report, stated that prima facie no offence could be established to prove him guilty and there was no imminent risk of Soren committing a similar offence while on bail. 

"I was kept behind bars for 5 months...We are seeing how the judicial process is taking years not just days or months...Today, it is a message for the whole country about how a conspiracy was hatched against us...The fight we started and the resolutions we made, we will work to fulfil them," he added.

#WATCH | Ranchi | On his bail, former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren says, "I was kept behind bars for 5 months...We are seeing how the judicial process is taking years not just days or months...Today, it is a message for the whole country that how a conspiracy was hatched against… pic.twitter.com/6dVkrGvotg

— ANI (@ANI) June 28, 2024

"I am once again amongst the people of Jharkhand. We will continue to fight and fulfil our promises," former Jharkhand Chief Minister said.

Soren, president of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, was arrested by the Enforcement (ED) on January 31 this year. Before his arrest, he was untraceable for 30 hours and resigned from his position as Chief Minister moments before his arrest at his Ranchi residence. He was detained under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA), which grants the ED authority to arrest persons. He was held in Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi. 

The ED's case against Soren involves allegations that he forcefully occupied 8.5 acres of land in Jharkhand in collusion with Bhanu Pratap Prasad, a revenue sub-inspector in Ranchi. The ED uncovered evidence during investigations into multiple land-grabbing allegations, accusing Prasad of aiding Soren and others in illegally acquiring properties through forged documents. 

The FIR, registered by the ED in June last year, led to Soren's arrest. According to The Indian Express, Prasad allegedly verified the illegal acquisition of plots in Ranchi's Bargain area under Soren's instructions. The ED's survey purportedly confirmed Soren's illegal possession of the land, a violation under the PMLA, despite his name not being on the property documents. 

READ | Former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren Gets Bail In Land Scam Case