The Supreme Court on Wednesday, May 22, refused to entertain former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren’s petition challenging the Enforcement Directorate’s arrest in a money laundering case related to an alleged land scam in the state and seeking interim bail for campaigning in the Lok Sabha elections 2024.

A vacation bench comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma also pulled up Hemant Soren for suppressing from it the fact that he filed a bail plea before a trial court, saying his conduct isn’t free from blemish.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Hemant Soren, withdrew the application after the court warned it would otherwise dismiss the plea. The development means the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader won’t be able to campaign for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

“Your conduct tells a lot. We expected your client to come up with candour but you suppressed material facts,” the court told Hemant Soren’s lawyer.