Pooja Singhal, an IAS official who was imprisoned after being arrested in connection with a money laundering case involving the suspected misappropriation of MGNREGA funds in Khunti district, where she held the position of deputy commissioner between February 2009 and 2010, was charged on Tuesday by the enforcement directorate.
The federal agency submitted the charge sheet, which sources estimate to be approximately 5000 pages, before the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court, within 60 days of the raids conducted against the former Mines & Industry secretary of Jharkhand on May 6.
‘We can confirm that chargesheet has been filed. It was brought to the court sealed in two boxes. We can’t reveal the details beyond that at this stage’, said a lawyer of the ED.
Six days after conducting searches at several places, including Singhal’s official residence and the homes of her family members and acquaintances, the investigation agency took the officer into custody on May 11. She has been held in Ranchi jail after being placed in judicial custody on June 8. She has requested bail through the PMLA court, and a hearing is anticipated for July 12.
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Suman Kumar, Singhal’s chartered accountant was detained on May 7, one day after federal agents carried out searches at several sites across four states. A total of 19.31 crore in cash, including 17.49 crore from Suman’s home, had been confiscated by the agency. Suman was imprisoned on May 20 and is still in jail.
In connection with the case, the federal investigation agency has conducted many searches and interrogated a number of people, including district mining authorities, real estate developers, and accused intermediaries.
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