Charge frame against Jharkhand’s suspended IAS Pooja Singhal in money laundering case, trial will go on

Ranchi (IANS) | In the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) court in Ranchi, the charge has been framed on Monday against the suspended IAS Pooja Singhal of Jharkhand in the money laundering case. With this, the process of trial has started in the court. Pooja Singhal was present in the court during the hearing in this case. Although Singhal is currently out of jail on the basis of interim bail granted by the Supreme Court.

Pooja Singhal is the second IAS officer from Jharkhand, against whom action has been taken in the money laundering case. Earlier, in the drug scam in the state, action was also taken against former Health Secretary Dr. Pradeep Kumar in the case of money laundering. The court proceedings in this matter are still going on.

PMLA Court’s Special Judge PK Sharma read out the allegations against Pooja Singhal during the hearing on Monday. Now he will be produced in the court as an accused. Earlier, on April 3, the same court had dismissed Singhal’s discharge petition. In this petition, Singhal termed the charges leveled against him by the ED as baseless and himself innocent, while the ED opposed the discharge petition and told the court that there were sufficient grounds, evidence and documents to prosecute him.

In the same case, charges have also been framed against CA Suman Kumar of Pooja Singhal’s husband Abhishek Jha and Shashi Prakash, former executive engineer of Khunti special division. Both of them are currently in jail under judicial custody. Shashi Prakash himself surrendered before the court, while Suman Kumar was arrested by the ED during a raid at his residence. ED had recovered more than 19 crores from the residence of Suman Kumar. After investigation, the ED filed a charge sheet and made Shashi Prakash and Suman Kumar accused of money laundering.

Let us tell you that this case of money laundering is related to the MNREGA scam in Khunti district of Jharkhand. This MNREGA scam took place in the years 2008-09 and 2009-10. Pooja Singhal was then the DC of Khunti from 16 February 2009 to 19 July 2010.

–IANS