The Supreme Court on Monday sought response from the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) by May 17, 2024, on the former Jharkhand Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Hemant Soren’s plea challenging his arrest in an alleged money laundering case relating to an alleged land scam case.

A bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Datta issued notice to the Directorate of Enforcement and sought its reply by May 17, as senior advocate Kapil Sibal said that Soren’s case was covered by the top court order granting interim bail of 21 days to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Initially the bench posted the matter for hearing on May 20 – before a vacation bench as the top court would have seven-week long summer vacations starting coming Monday – but senior advocate Sibal urged the bench to advance the date as petitioner – former Chief Minister – could participate in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

Sibal said that they have served the copy of Soren’s petition on the ED on May 6 itself when they approached the top court.

However, Justice Khanna said that it was the shortest date that they could give to the ED for seeking its response on Soren’s plea against his arrest. Sibal told the bench that by May 20, the election campaign in Jharkhand would be over.

On a poser by the bench about the ownership of the land in question, Sibal informed the bench that Soren has nothing to do with it and it was owned by someone else.

On being asked by the bench if Soren was in possession of the land, Sibal replied no.

“I (Soren) have never been. It has nothing to do with the land. If they say forcible possession, it is not even a scheduled offence,” Sibal said, pointing out that in any case the alleged offence is not a scheduled offence and is not covered under the provisions of the PMLA.

However, the bench observed that everybody including the person in actual occupation of the land had made a statement that Soren had possession of it.

The Jharkhand High Court had reserved its order on February 28 and it was pronounced on May 3, after Soren approached the top court seeking direction to the High court to deliver judgment. The High Court had rejected his plea.

The former Jharkhand Chief Minister had approached the Supreme Court on May 6 against Jharkhand High Court order dismissing his plea challenging his arrest by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in the alleged money laundering case.