DELHI, 3 February 2024: In a unprecedented move, the Supreme Court has refused to entertain the petition filed by Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren against his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Reacting to this, Senior Advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal expressed his concerns, stating, "I think something like this would hardly have happened in the history of India when a sitting Chief Minister is arrested."
Sibal went on to question the Supreme Court's role in guiding politicians on when they can approach the court, saying, "The Supreme Court should tell us in which case we can come here and in which case we cannot come here." He accused the government of targeting opposition Chief Ministers, claiming, "This government wants no opposition Chief Minister."
Expressing further apprehension, Sibal predicted a similar fate for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, asserting, "Now they will do the same with Arvind Kejriwal, as their motive is there should be a double-engine government and there should be no opposition government."
Sibal raised concerns about the potential misuse of legal avenues, stating, "Now 10 more cases will be imposed on Hemant Soren, so that he does not come out of jail and you get benefits in the 2024 elections."
In a plea for judicial intervention, Sibal concluded by questioning, "If the Supreme Court does not listen to us, then where will we go?" The unfolding legal drama raises important questions about the balance between government authority and the right of politicians to seek legal recourse.
