Ex-Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren moves Supreme Court against arrest

Senior counsel Kapil Sibal, representing Soren, mentioned the matter before a bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud, requesting an expedited consideration of Soren’s appeal against the high court’s last week ruling.

Sibal emphasised the urgency of the matter in light of the election in Jharkhand, urging the bench, also comprising justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, to prioritise the case.

“Hemant Soren was arrested on January 31. We moved the high court on February 4. The high court reserved the judgment on February 28 but did not deliver the judgement. The phase of election starts in the state on the 13th of this month. So, we moved this court under Article 32, and this court issued notice last week. After the notice was issued, the high court delivers the judgment on May 3 rejecting his plea...Very unfortunate that rights are being trampled in this fashion,” Sibal said.