ED files prosecution complaint against Hemant Soren, wife Kalpana meets Sunita Kejriwal

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday filed a prosecution complaint running into hundreds of pages against former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren and four others at a special PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) court in Ranchi.

On 21 March, a special PMLA court had extended Soren's judicial custody to 4 April in connection with a money-laundering case linked to an alleged land scam. On 15 February, the PMLA court had remanded him to judicial custody until 22 February, which was later extended to 21 March.

Since his arrest by the ED on 31 January, shortly after his resignation as chief minister, Soren has been lodged at the Birsa Munda Central Jail in Hotwar, Ranchi.

Meanwhile, Soren's wife Kalpana Soren today met jailed Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal in Delhi, and expressed a mutual resolve to take their fight ahead. The two met in Kejriwal's residence for about 15-20 minutes, officials said.

"I came here to share the sorrow and pain of Sunita ji. She narrated her plight. We both have pledged that this fight has to be taken very far. Entire Jharkhand stands with Arvind Kejriwal," Kalpana told reporters after the meeting.

She said what happened in Jharkhand two months ago was replicated in Delhi and the situation was the same in both places. "My husband Hemant ji was sent to jail and Arvind Kejriwal sir is also in custody. The situation of Jharkhand and Delhi is the same," she said.

Kalpana said she would also meet senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and tell her about the situation in Jharkhand. She and Jharkhand chief minister Champai Soren are also scheduled to attend Sunday's INDIA bloc rally, which was announced after Kejriwal's arrest.

Sunita Kejriwal is also likely to take part in the rally, Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party leaders said. Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on 21 March in a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped excise policy of his government.