The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a bail plea from suspended Jharkhand cadre IAS officer Pooja Singhal, who is implicated in a money laundering case connected to the purported misappropriation of MGNREGA funds and other allegations.
A panel comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta denied the bail request, deeming it an “extraordinary case”.
The Supreme Court declined to intervene with the decision of the Jharkhand High Court, which had rejected her bail plea. The panel acknowledged that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had examined 12 out of 17 prosecution witnesses and expressed hope for a swift conclusion to the trial.
“You wait for some more time for bail. This is not a normal matter but an extraordinary case. There is something seriously wrong in this case. We are not inclined to entertain the instant petition. We hope the trial will be concluded expeditiously,” said the bench.
The court also granted Singhal the liberty to renew her bail plea if the trial prolongs or if there are any changes in circumstances. The ED opposed Singhal’s bail plea, citing that she had spent the majority of her custody period in a Ranchi hospital. On February 10, 2023, the Supreme Court provided Singhal with interim bail for two months, as she requested bail to care for her ailing daughter.
She has been in custody since May 11, 2022, following raids conducted at properties associated with her in connection with the money laundering case. The Supreme Court was considering an appeal filed by Singhal, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Jharkhand cadre, challenging the Jharkhand High Court’s dismissal of her bail plea.
The ED has charged Singhal with money laundering, alleging that its teams seized over Rs. 36 crore in cash, reportedly linked to illegal mining, as part of two distinct money laundering inquiries.
In addition to the 2000-batch IAS officer, the ED raided her businessman husband, a chartered accountant connected to the couple, and others as part of a money laundering investigation linked to a case of alleged corruption in the MGNREGA scheme.
Pooja Singhal was apprehended following assertions from the ED that it possessed substantial evidence of her association with CA Suman Kumar. At the time, Singhal held positions as the secretary of the Department of Mines and Geology and the managing director of Jharkhand State Mineral Development Corporation Limited (JSMDC).