In order to campaign in the LS Polls, former chief minister of Jharkhand Hemant Soren cites the SC’s Kejriwal bail order

The Supreme Court granted temporary bail to Hemant Soren, the former chief minister of Jharkhand, so he may campaign in the Lok Sabha elections on Monday, citing the court’s ruling in the money laundering case involving Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

After Soren resigned as the chief minister of Jharkhand, he was detained on January 31 in connection with suspected land fraud and money laundering.

Soren’s petition against his arrest was accepted by a panel of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, who also requested a response from the Enforcement Directorate by May 17. “My case is covered by Arvind Kejriwal’s order,” senior attorney Kapil Sibal said while speaking on behalf of Soren. For my campaign, I need temporary bail. The JMM leader’s temporary bail cannot be granted by the court without a first hearing from the Enforcement Directorate.

When Sibal and senior counsel Arunabh Chowdhury, who was also representing Soren, argued that “election will be over by then and he will be prejudiced if a long date is given in the matter,” the top court, which had originally been inclined to schedule the matter for May 20, instead set it for May 17. Given how many items were mentioned before, the bench said that there was too much work to be done this week.

“Thereafter, reject this petition. Why should my bias exist? The state’s elections will conclude, according to Sibal.

Sibal was informed by the bench that the issue might be scheduled for listing either during or after the court’s summer break.

Justice Khanna said, “I’m powerless over it. The shortest date that is accessible is May 20. We never provide a single week’s notice. After Sibal persisted in her plea, the bench decided to list it for May 17, despite its earlier reluctance to move the date.

The bench said, “We don’t know whether we will be able to take up the matter, but we are still posting it for May 17.”

Sibal said he would take a wild guess.

The court first questioned Sibal about Soren’s ownership of the 8.86-acre land that he was said to have obtained unlawfully.

Sibal said, “That land is owned by one Raj Kumar Pahan; I have nothing to do with it.”

Soren has appealed the Jharkhand High Court’s decision from May 3rd, which dismissed his suit against the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seeking his detention. In order to continue campaigning in the Lok Sabha elections until the court rules on his appeal against his detention, he has also requested temporary release.

Soren claimed in his appeal, submitted via attorney Praghya Baghel, that the high court erred in rejecting his petition on May 3.

Right now, Soren is being held in judicial custody at Ranchi’s Birsa Munda Central Jail.

According to the ED, Soren allegedly created “huge amounts of proceeds of crime” by falsifying official records and using fictitious names for buyers and sellers in order to purchase enormous tracts of land valued in crores of rupees.

The investigation against Soren concerns an 8.86-acre Ranchi property that the ED claims he unlawfully purchased.

In order to allow Kejriwal to campaign in the Lok Sabha elections, the top court granted him interim bail on May 10 in a money laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise scam. However, the court also prohibited Kejriwal from visiting his office or the Delhi secretariat or from signing official documents unless it was absolutely necessary to get the lieutenant governor’s approval.

Four Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand—Khunti, Singhbhum, Lohardaga, and Palamu—are now holding elections today. It will take place in the following three stages on May 20, 25, and June 1 in the ten Lok Sabha seats that remain.