Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, on Wednesday, January 31, resigned from his post as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested him in a money laundering case linked to an alleged land scam and has moved the High Court against the agency's action. In a day of fast-moving developments, Soren went to the Raj Bhavan to tender his resignation to the Governor, while members of the ruling coalition selected senior Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader and Transport Minister Champai Soren to succeed him.

The ED, which was questioning Hemant Soren at his residence since the afternoon, informed him that it was arresting him as it was not satisfied with his answers to their queries. Subsequently, it was announced that Hemant Soren had challenged the ED probe and his arrest in a write petition in the Jharkhand High Court on January 31 but the matter was not heard and is likely to be mentioned on February 1 for hearing.

Hemant Soren, who was reportedly "missing", resurfaced in Ranchi on late January 30, reaching his Kanke Road residence at around 1.50 pm. The ED had been on the lookout for him in Delhi since January 29 morning. They searched for him at several places including his Delhi residence and Jharkhand Bhawan, but did not find him.