Hemant Soren Returns as Jharkhand Chief Minister After Bail in Land Scam Case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has moved the Supreme Court to challenge the Jharkhand High Court’s decision to grant bail to Hemant Soren in a money laundering case related to a land scam. Soren, the former Chief Minister of Jharkhand and leader of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), was arrested in January for allegedly generating substantial proceeds through the forgery of official records to acquire large parcels of land.

Following his arrest, Soren resigned as Chief Minister but was re-elected and won a vote of trust in the state assembly with 45 MLAs supporting him. He was sworn in as the 13th Chief Minister of Jharkhand on July 4. Champai Soren, who had taken over as Chief Minister after Hemant Soren’s arrest, resigned, paving the way for Hemant Soren’s return.

In a video message, Hemant Soren accused the BJP of making false allegations against him, stating that they could not accept an Adivasi youngster in a high position. He emphasized his commitment to being the voice of the people of Jharkhand and continuing his work for the state.

Hemant Soren’s return as Chief Minister is expected to bolster the JMM, which won three seats in the tribal-dominated state of Jharkhand in the Lok Sabha elections. In 2019, the JMM, in alliance with the Congress and Lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD), secured a comfortable majority in the state assembly with 47 seats in the 81-member house.