Shiv Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut recently made headlines with his bold statement that the mandate received in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections represents a personal loss for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Raut asserted, “Rahul Gandhi has defeated PM Modi… Before forming the government, he should have done self-introspection… The nation needs a leader who takes everyone along.”
Raut’s remarks didn’t stop at election commentary. He also directed his criticism towards the judiciary, alleging that it operates under political pressure. “Judiciary is working under political pressure. Central agencies are agents of the BJP… After Rahul Gandhi became the LoP and by seeing the strength of the opposition, Hemant Soren has got bail, Arvind Kejriwal will also get bail,” he said.
The context for Raut’s comments on Hemant Soren stems from the recent legal developments involving the former Jharkhand Chief Minister and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha Chief. Soren was granted bail by the Jharkhand High Court in an alleged land scam case. This decision led to Soren’s release from Birsa Munda Jail, where he had been held since his January arrest by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on charges of money laundering and forgery related to the acquisition of large parcels of land worth crores.
On March 22, a Special PMLA court had extended Soren’s judicial custody until April 4, with Soren participating via video conferencing. The Ranchi police had also issued a notice to ED officials to join the investigation after Soren filed an FIR under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. However, the Jharkhand High Court previously ordered no coercive action against ED officials following the agency’s petition challenging Soren’s FIR.
Soren has consistently claimed that the ED’s actions were intended to tarnish his image and harass him due to his tribal background. The ED, on the other hand, has stated that their investigation uncovered Rs 36 lakh in cash and documents proving that Soren had fraudulently acquired 8.5 acres of land. The investigation implicated a broader syndicate, including Revenue Sub-Inspector Bhanu Pratap Prasad, in corrupt property acquisitions.