Hemant Soren returns as Jharkhand CM after 5-month incarceration

New Delhi, July 4: Hemant Soren, executive president of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), was sworn in as Jharkhand's Chief Minister on Thursday. This event occurred just a day after Champai Soren resigned from the position, months ahead of the assembly election.

Hemant Soren had previously been jailed for five months, from January to June, following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate on charges of involvement in a land fraud worth crores. He resigned minutes before his arrest. However, he was granted bail by the High Court, which stated that records did not indicate his "direct involvement" in the alleged scam.

The swearing-in ceremony took place at 5 PM in Raj Bhavan, with Hemant Soren's father, JMM patriarch and two-time former Chief Minister Shibu Soren, in attendance. Cabinet ministers are set to be sworn in on Sunday.

Media news agencies quoting Soren said "Today is July 4. On Jan 31, from the same place, I conveyed a message to you all on how the opposition has conspired against me. They were successful. For five months, they tried to keep me inside the jail by different means. We took the legal path and people supported us," Soren said before taking the oath.

On Wednesday, Soren met Governor CP Radhakrishnan at Raj Bhavan in Ranchi to formally stake his claim to form the government, following Champai Soren's resignation.

Ahead of his swearing-in, Hemant Soren wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "Thank you, His Excellency the Governor. The end of the anti-democracy conspiracy hatched by the opposition has begun. Satyamev Jayate."

Champai Soren had temporarily assumed the role of Chief Minister on February 2, days after Hemant Soren stepped down before his arrest in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam.

Hemant Soren, 48, was granted bail by the Jharkhand High Court on June 28, after spending five months in jail. "The court has held that prima facie he is not guilty of the offense and there is no likelihood of the petitioner committing an offense when on bail," Soren's senior counsel Arunabh Chowdhury told PTI.