Hemant Soren filed fake SC/ST Act cases against our officers to stall PMLA probe: ED to Supreme Court

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) told the Supreme Court on Monday that the Jharkhand State police filed fake cases under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against its officers at the behest of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren [Hemant Soren v. Directorate of Enforcement and Anr]..This was done to stall the money laundering probe against him and such misuse of State machinery disentitles the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader from grant of interim bail, the ED said in its affidavit before the apex court. "Petitioner is disentitled to seek any interim bail as he has foisted false cases on the investigating officers of ED under the SC/ST Act to prevent and obstruct the authorities under the PMLA from discharging their duties ... If the petitioner is released on interim bail, he will misuse the state machinery to thwart further investigation in the case as well as influence witnesses and tamper with evidence," it was submitted. .The affidavit said that no action was taken by the Jharkhand government against the implicated officials in the money laundering case even after the ED shared information with them."There is material to suggest that the said persons are being shielded by the accused-petitioner who was the then CM of Jharkhand and till date has a great influence over the administration ... Petitioner has committed offence of money laundering and involved in criminal activities related to the proceeds of crime. No case for interim bail is made out circumventing the rigours of the mandatory twin conditions of Section 45 of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)," the ED contended in its affidavit drawn by advocate Zoheb Hossain. Since Soren's plea for bail was dismissed by a special court and that has not been challenged here, he cannot seek interim bail in other proceedings directly before the apex court, the ED further said.A vacation bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma will hear the case later today..The ED has booked Soren in a case concerning “huge racket of illegal change of ownership of land by the mafia” in Jharkhand. The ED filed a prosecution complaint on June 23, 2016 in connection with the case under Section 45 of PMLA against Soren, ten others and three companies.So far, over a dozen people have been arrested in the case, including 2011-batch IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan, who served as Director of the State’s Social Welfare Department and Deputy Commissioner of Ranchi.The agency recorded Soren's statement under the PMLA on January 20 this year.He was later arrested and stepped down as Chief Minister of Jharkhand on January 31 in the wake of his arrest. He has, however, denied the allegations of money-laundering.In a video released soon before he was taken into custody, he claimed he was being arrested on the basis of “fake papers” as a part of a conspiracy. .Soren's plea challenging his arrest was dismissed by the Jharkhand High Court on May 3. He has challenged the same before the top court.The Supreme Court on May 13 issued notice to ED on the plea challenging the Jharkhand High Court decision to not release Soren.The Supreme Court also asked the ED to file a short reply on Soren's prayer for interim bail.