Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s (JMM) executive president and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren moved the Supreme Court on Thursday, challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra agreed to review the plea submitted by the former Jharkhand chief minister this Friday, i.e. February 2.

Also Read:‘Will not cow down…truth will prevail’: Hemant Soren on ED arrest

Represented by Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Soren initially filed a petition in the Jharkhand High Court after his arrest on Wednesday, as PTI reported. However, he has now expressed his intention to withdraw the petition before the apex court. Soren’s petition was scheduled to be heard by a division bench of Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Anubha Rawat Choudhary around 10:30 am in the Jharkhand High Court.

Yesterday, in a massive turn of events in Jharkhand politics, Soren tendered his resignation to Governor CP Radhakrishnan. Later, he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after hours of questioning at his residence in Ranchi.

Also Read:Who will be Jharkhand’s CM? All eyes on Governor after Hemant Soren’s arrest

After a seven-hour interrogation resulting in Soren’s arrest, party loyalist and state Transport minister Champai Soren was designated by the JMM as his successor. 

Hours before his arrest, JMM’s executive president and former Chief Minister Hemant Soren declared that the moment had arrived to “initiate a war” against the existing feudal system, which he stated “oppresses the poor, Dalits, and tribals.”

Also Read:Hemant Soren resigns, Champai Soren set to be new Jharkhand Chief Minister

In a video message recorded just before his arrest, Soren accused the ED of planning his arrest without any evidence in connection with the money laundering case, and claimed no connection with the charges brought against him. “I will not cow down… Ultimately, truth will prevail,” he said.

“The ED has come to arrest me today. After questioning me for the entire day, they have decided to arrest me in a planned manner, on an issue which is not linked to me. They (ED) found no evidence, they even tried to tarnish my image by conducting raids in Delhi,” the former CM said in the video message.

Hemant’s arrest ensued from his repeated refusals to cooperate with the ED during questioning, marking the ninth summons issued by the central agency regarding an alleged money laundering case. Soren underwent questioning three times: initially in November 2021 in connection with an illegal mining case, and subsequently on January 20 and 31 with the alleged proceeds of crime associated with the illicit sale and purchase of land in Ranchi, where IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan is also implicated.

During a raid at his Delhi residence, the ED purportedly recovered Rs 36 lakh in cash and a BMW car. Soren disclaimed ownership of the car and asserted that he had no possession of any illicit cash. Furthermore, an FIR has been lodged against ED officials over the January 29 raid under the provisions of the SC/ST Act, based on a complaint filed by Soren.