The Supreme Court today dismissed former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s petition challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate on money laundering charges.

“We are not interfering, go to the High Court,” the Supreme Court said.

Hemant Soren was arrested late Wednesday night. He has been sent to judicial custody for one day, with a definitive ruling on the central agency’s request for 10-day custody expected today.

In his petition, Hemant Soren contended before the Supreme Court that the agency had “abused its power and acted in a malafide manner to destabilise a democratically-elected state government”.

He also called his arrest “illegal and without jurisdiction” “The ED is brazenly acting under the (diktats) of the central government and hounding the petitioner to destabilise a democratically-elected government headed by the petitioner,” he said.

The Enforcement Directorate has alleged that Hemant Soren is involved in a Rs 600-crore land scam and the laundering of its proceeds.

Meanwhile, Champai Soren, veteran leader of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, will take oath today as the next Chief Minister of Jharkhand today.

Champai Soren met Jharkhand Governor CP Radhakrishnan in Ranchi yesterday and urged him to invite him to form the next state government. “We have submitted the report with 43 MLAs in our support. We expect the number will reach 46-47. Our ‘gathbandhan’, or alliance, is very strong,” Champai Soren said after meeting the Governor.

Sources said the Governor was also shown a 49-second roll-call video of all MLAs backing Mr Soren, who is a senior member of the JMM and a seven-time MLA.

Superstar Vijay has launched a political party in Tamil Nadu days after leaders of the Tamizha Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) appointed him the party chief. Vijay is likely to enter the electoral battlefield ahead of the assembly election due in Tamil Nadu in 2026. “Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam” would loosely translate to “Tamil Nadu Victory Party.”

Vijay said his party will not contest the Lok Sabha election. The TVK will also not support anyone, as decided in its recently held general council and executive council meetings, he said.

“I have decided to complete the film I have already committed to, without affecting the party work and completely involve myself in the politics of public service. I consider this as my gratitude towards the people of Tamil Nadu,” Vijay said, news agency PTI reported.

The announcement prompted spontaneous celebrations from his fans in the state known for stars graduating from cinema to politics, including the late veterans MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa.

Seen as the next Rajinikanth of Tamil cinema, Vijay – who has acted in 68 films – has been nurturing political ambitions for over a decade. He has been involving his fan clubs in a range of charity and welfare measures including free distribution of food, educational scholarships, libraries, evening tuition, and even legal help.

Recently, he organised a constituency-level programme to honour student toppers in public exams. He told the students he wants to “read about leaders like Ambedkar, Periyar, Kamaraj. Take what’s good and leave the rest.”

Vijay’s father is the celebrated film director Chandrasekhar. Vijay’s films have often touched sensitive and key public interest topics, and he has a cult following in the state. Some of Vijay’s films have also taken controversial stands in targeting governments over the years.

Squid Game 2 is all set to release this year. The sequel to the survival thriller that gained popularity back in 2021 is one of the most anticipated upcoming Korean series. The first look of the show starring Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon, Gong Yoo and more is out now.

The first look at Squid Game 2 sees Lee Jung-jae with his hair dyed red step out of the airport and swear to find the man behind the evil game. The short clip picks up right after the events of the first season.

Check it out here:

The makers also unveiled a series of stills from the sequel. One still sees Lee Jung-jae and Gong Yoo face off.

Written and directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, Squid Game 2 also features Park Sung-hoon, Yim Si-wan, Won Ji-an and others. 

Squid Game ended on a cliff-hanger that saw Lee Jung-jae’s Gi-hun, fresh off his win,  set to leave for the US to visit his daughter. However, he changes his mind when he gets a phone call. 

Squid Game Season 2 will release in 2024.