Hemant Soren arrest: The occurrence of chief ministers being arrested in Jharkhand is not unprecedented. Since the formation of the state, there have been a total of six chief ministers. Among them, three have faced arrest in various cases. Additionally, the state has also witnessed the imposition of President's rule on three occasions.
Meanwhile, Hemant Soren, the executive president of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), has become the third chief minister of the state to be arrested. The Enforcement Directorate took him into custody shortly after he resigned from his position in connection with a money laundering case related to an alleged land scam on Wednesday night after more than seven hours of questioning related to an alleged land fraud case. So far, 14 people have been arrested in the case.
Jharkhand Chief Ministers who have been arrested are:
Shibu Soren
Hemant Soren's father, Shibu Soren, served as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand for 10 days in 2005, from 2008 to 2009, and from 2009 to 2010. In 2006, Shibu Soren was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Delhi court in the kidnapping and murder case of private secretary Shashi Nath Jha. However, in 2007, the Delhi High Court acquitted him due to lack of solid evidence. The Supreme Court also upheld the decision in 2018. Additionally, in 2004, a Jamtara sub-divisional judicial magistrate's court issued a non-bailable warrant against Shibu Soren. Consequently, Soren had to resign from the position of Union Coal Minister in the Manmohan Singh government on July 24, 2004. However, in March 2008, the Fast-Track Court acquitted Soren citing lack of evidence.
Madhu Koda
Madhu Koda served as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand from 2006 to 2008. During his tenure as CM, he faced allegations of corruption, including money laundering and amassing disproportionate assets. He was accused of involvement in the mining scam and earning more than Rs 4,000 crore. Koda was arrested in 2009 in connection with the mining scam and was released on bail in 2013. Subsequently, in 2017, he was convicted, sentenced to three years in prison, and fined Rs 25 lakh.
It is pertinent to mention that BJP's Raghubar Das was the only chief minister to serve a full five-year term (2014 to 2019).
Also Read: Hemant Soren Live Updates: Former Jharkhand CM to be produced in court today
