Jharkhand court rejects Hemant Soren’s bail plea to attend uncle’s funeral

Former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren filed a petition for 13-day provisional bail before the PMLA court to participate in the funeral and last rites of his uncle Raja Ram Soren, who passed away this morning

A Jharkhand court on Saturday rejected a provisional bail application of jailed former chief minister Hemant Soren, who moved the court citing the death of his uncle earlier in the day.

Hemant Soren has been in jail since January 31 after the Enforcement Directorate arrested him in a money laundering case. (File)

Soren filed a petition for 13-day provisional bail before the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court to participate in the funeral and last rites of his uncle Raja Ram Soren, who passed away this morning, a lawyer said.

Soren’s advocate Pradeep Chandra said, “An interim bail petition was filed but the court denied bail.”

Soren had filed a petition earlier too, and a hearing on the matter is due on May 1. He had also filed a special leave petition before the Supreme Court challenging his arrest, where the matter is listed for hearing on April 29.

Soren has been in jail since January 31 after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested him in a money laundering case involving 8.86 acre tribal land in Bariatu. ED filed a prosecution complaint against him in the PMLA court and the court has also taken cognisance of the matter.