Hemant Soren Remains In ED Custody As PMLA Court Grants 5-Day Extension

The Special PMLA court on Wednesday grants a five-day extension to Enforcement Directorate remand custody for ex-Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren.

The former chief minister on February 2 was remanded to five days' ED custody by the special PMLA (The Prevention of Money Laundering Act) court which ended on Wednesday.

"The Enforcement Directorate had prayed for seven days' remand, which we vehemently opposed. The ED was granted five days' remand," Advocate General Rajeev Ranjan told reporters.

Soren was arrested on the night of January 31 following a seven-hour interrogation by the ED in connection with a money laundering case. He had resigned as the chief minister prior to his arrest.

Advocate General Rajeev Ranjan Singh, representing Soren, requested that his client be permitted to spend the night in jail due to security concerns.

The court has not yet ruled on Singh's request.

Singh argued in court on Thursday that the entire proceedings against the former chief minister were part of a conspiracy to destabilize the government, as there was no evidence against him.