Hemant Soren To Be Produced in Court Today; Ex-CM Files Writ Petition in Jharkhand HC | Updates – News18

Hemant Soren, the leader of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), was apprehended on Wednesday night in connection with a money laundering case subsequent to his resignation as the Chief Minister. Later in the day, former CM Soren is likely to be produced in court.

Following his resignation, Champai Soren, a loyalist and the state’s transport minister, was designated as his successor. Hemant Soren underwent an extensive seven-hour interrogation by the Enforcement Directorate at his official residence before being arrested in relation to the money laundering case. Subsequently, he was transported to the ED office for a medical examination, according to officials.

‘Action on Soren Justified, Next is Kejriwal’: BJP Leader

On the political situation in Jharkhand, BJP MP Harnath Singh Yadav says, “ED (Enforcement Directorate) action on Hemant Soren is absolutely right. Next, is Kejriwal’s number.”

Day After Arrest, Visuals From Outside ED Office

‘Life is a Great Battle’: Hemant Soren, Jharkhand’s Youngest CM, Arrested by ED

“…Life is a great battle, I have fought every moment, I will fight every moment but I will not beg for compromise,” he shared on X a poem in Hindi, which roughly translates to this, soon after his arrest. Born on August 10, 1975, at Nemra village near Hazaribag, Hemant did his intermediate from Patna High School and later joined Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra in Ranchi, but dropped out.

Known for his love of badminton, bicycles and books, Hemant has two children with wife Kalpana. He debuted as a Rajya Sabha member in 2009. Next year, he resigned from the Upper House of Parliament to take up the post of deputy chief minister in the BJP-led Arjun Munda government.

Soren Went to Raj Bhavan To Submit Resignation

Soren went to the Raj Bhavan to tender his resignation accompanied by alliance legislators. The ED team also present there, officials said “Hemant Soren has resigned as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand. The ruling JMM-Congress-RJD alliance has proposed the name of senior JMM leader Champai Soren as the new CM,” state Congress president Rajesh Thakur said. “We have staked a claim to form the new government with the support of 47 MLAs,” JMM legislative party leader Champai Soren told reporters.

FIR Lodged Against ED Officials Over Raids

Earlier in the day, Soren lodged an FIR against ED personnel over searches conducted by the agency at his Delhi residence on Monday, officials said. Soren alleged that the ED conducted the search to “harass and malign him and his entire community”, the officials said, quoting the FIR.

Hemant Soren Moved Jharkhand HC, Reason Unknown

In a late-night development, Soren moved the Jharkhand High Court, party sources said. However, the reason why he moved court was not known. His petition will be heard by the bench of Acting Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Anubha Rawat Choudhary at 10.30 am on Thursday. In the morning, legislators gathered at Hemant Soren’s residence elected the transport minister Champai Soren as the leader of the JMM legislative party with party spokesperson Vinod Pandey saying that a consensus was reached on his name.

Who is New Jharkhand CM Champai Soren

A legislator from the Serikela assembly constituency for more than three decades since 1991, Champai Soren is known to be a loyalist of JMM supremo Shibu Soren. Born in November 1956 at Jilinggora village in Jharkhand’s Seraikela-Kharsawan district, Champai Soren is a matriculate and father of seven children. He is the son of a farmer and is not related to the Hemant Soren’s family.

Soren Was ‘Evasive’ During Questioning, Say Sources

Sources claimed 48-year-old Hemant Soren was “evasive” in his replies during ED questioning and hence was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The ED is expected to produce Soren before a special PMLA court here and the agency will seek his remand for custodial interrogation, the sources said.

15 Questions Put Across To Soren

Sources said the agency put across 15 questions to Soren during the second round of questioning in the case. He was first quizzed on January 20. The JMM leader was shown the typed statements he recorded with the agency and before taking him in custody, his signatures were sought on these documents.

It was, however, not clear if he signed them. The allegations of money laundering against the JMM leader pertain to the alleged illegal possession of certain immovable assets apart from his purported links with members of the ‘land mafia’.

The questioning of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren will start at around 1 pm today… The questioning will be done by the investigators of the investigating agency ED… Seeing the seriousness of this matter, Additional Director level officers working at the ED headquarters in Delhi themselves arrived. We are there to monitor and give proper guidelines in this matter… Chief Minister Hemant Soren will be interrogated today in the land deal scam case in Jharkhand.

(With inputs from agencies)