JMM leader and Jharkhand former chief minister Hemant Soren, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday, has filed a plea with the Jharkhand High Court.
Soren's petition will be heard by the bench of Acting Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Anubha Rawat Choudhary at 10.30 am on Thursday. However, the reason why he moved to court was not known.
The ED arrested Soren after over seven hours of questioning on money laundering charges in an alleged land fraud case. Before the arrest, he tendered his resignation as chief minister, handing over the baton to his former transport minister Champai Soren.
The investigating agency is expected to produce Soren before a special PMLA court here and the agency will seek his remand for custodial interrogation, sources told PTI.
Meanwhile, top INDIA bloc leaders held a meeting after the arrest of Hemant Soren at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's residence in Delhi on Wednesday night to discuss the situation arising after the resignation and arrest of Soren.
The meeting at Kharge's residence was attended by Sonia Gandhi, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and DMK leader T R Baalu, among others. Soren's Jharkhand Mukti Morcha is a constituent of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). The Congress is also a part of the ruling coalition in Jharkhand.
Kharge has slammed the centre on Soren's arrest, stating that it was a blow to Federalism. "One who will not go with PM Modi will go to jail. Imposing ED against Jharkhand Chief Minister, Hemant Soren and forcing him to resign is a blow to Federalism," Kharge wrote on X.
Meanwhile, Jharkhand Transport Minister Champai Soren, who was named as JMM legislative party leader, has written to Governor CP Radhakrishnan, staking a claim to form the new government in the state. He stated in the letter that he has the support of 47 legislators, enough to form a government in the 81-member Assembly state.
