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Jharkhand: Court rejects suspended IAS officer Pooja Singhal's bail plea
The federal agency arrested Singhal in May for alleged embezzlement of MGNREGA funds in Khunti district of the state and other charges. Her husband, Abhishek Jha, along with five others have also been arrested over similar charges.
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A special PMLA court in Ranchi, Jharkhand, on Wednesday rejected the bail plea of suspended IAS officer Pooja Singhal, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case.
The federal agency arrested Singhal in May for alleged embezzlement of MGNREGA funds in Khunti district of the state and other charges. Her husband, Abhishek Jha, along with five others have also been arrested over similar charges.
Singhal, who was holding the charge of Jharkhand mining secretary, was suspended by the state government following her arrest by the ED.
The ED investigation pertains to a money laundering case in which a former junior engineer in the Jharkhand government, Ram Binod Prasad Sinha, was arrested by the agency on June 17, last year. He was booked by the agency under sections of the PMLA in 2012 based on FIRs of the state vigilance bureau against him.
Sinha was booked by the state vigilance bureau under criminal sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) pertaining to cheating and corruption for allegedly defrauding public money and investing it in his own name as well as in the name of his family members while working as junior engineer from April 1, 2008 to March 21, 2011.
As per the agency, the money was earmarked for the execution of government projects under MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) in Khunti district.
The ED alleged that during the period, charges of “irregularities” were made against Singhal while she served as the deputy commissioner of Chatra, Khunti and Palamu between 2007 and 2013.
According to the federal agency, the suspended IAS officer allegedly transferred ₹16.57 lakh from her “personal account” to those controlled or owned by her chartered accountant.
(With agency inputs)
