'Sent You to HC, But Feel it was Wrong': SC Sets Another Date for Hemant Soren
The Wire Staff
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New Delhi: Saying that the decision to send incarcerated former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren to the high court with his challenge against his arrest was "wrong," the Supreme Court has issued notice to the Enforcement Directorate and set the matter for May 17.
The ED arrested Soren in late January in what it claims is a money laundering case. Soren was sitting chief minister then and resigned hours before his arrest.
When Soren's counsel Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal said that the elections are almost ending, the bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta said, according to Bar and Bench, "We sent you to HC because we do in all cases.. but we feel it was wrong."
It then asked to list the matter on the week commencing May 20. Only after significant pleading by Sibal on how "unfair" this matter is did the court set a May 17 date.
When Sibal alleged that that the ED "is not appearing purposely," Justice Sanjiv Khanna responded that while the court is setting the date as May 17, it does not "know if it will be heard."
Upon Sibal making an observation that the judges were smiling, Justice Khanna said that whenever he smiles, lawyers say he will dismiss the case.
On May 10, on a day when the Supreme Court granted Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal interim bail, it disposed of Soren’s plea as “infructuous” as the Jharkhand high court has dismissed Soren’s petition seeking the same relief.
The high court had delivered the judgment – unfavourable to Soren – on May 3, only after the apex court issued notice on the former chief minister’s petition on April 29.
"HC doesn't pass the order in March, HC doesn't pass the order in April. Then I came to Supreme Court and the HC passed the order in May," Sibal said, according to a report by LiveLaw.
When Sibal further added that the interim bail order passed in favour of Kejriwal – by the same bench – covered Soren too, the bench said, "No, no, that is not the way," without going into details.
Sibal repeatedly stressed on the importance of the elections and alleged that the ED was purposefully not appearing despite being served advance notice on May 6.
This article went live on May thirteenth, two thousand twenty four, at fifty-four minutes past one in the afternoon.
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