Hemant Soren denied interim bail by special PMLA court to attend uncle’s funeral

RANCHI: In a setback for former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, the Special PMLA Court in Ranchi declined to grant him interim bail in a land scam case to attend his uncle’s funeral. Soren had filed an application seeking 13-day interim release, but his request was turned down.

The demise of Rajaram Soren, the elder brother of JMM Supreme Shibu Soren, occurred after a prolonged illness early on Saturday.

On Wednesday, Soren had moved Supreme Court seeking relief in a money laundering case. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta was told by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who appeared for Soren, that the high court had reserved its verdict for February 28 on his plea but still no decision has been delivered.

Hemant Soren, after being questioning for over 7 hours, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on January 31 from his residence and is currently under judicial custody. He is lodged in Birsa Munda Central Jail in Ranchi.