Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren was taken into custody following a lengthy interrogation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case. Soren resigned from his position as chief minister before his arrest, and his party loyalist and state transport minister, Champai Soren, was appointed as his replacement. The arrest occurred after the ED probed alleged activities involving the manipulation of official records to obtain valuable land through forged transactions, leading to the suspicion of large amounts of illicit funds being generated.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the delays in the judicial process, Soren has sought intervention from the Supreme Court after the high court postponed delivering a verdict on his plea challenging the arrest. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Soren, informed the bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta that despite his plea being reserved for a decision back in February, no official ruling has been issued by the high court. The arrest and subsequent legal battle highlight the ongoing scrutiny and legal actions surrounding the alleged money laundering activities and the acquisition of valuable land parcels through fraudulent means.