On Wednesday, a Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act court in Ranchi postponed the filing of charges against suspended IAS Pooja Singhal in a money laundering case until April 10.
“Today, a hearing happened on framing of charges. Now the charges will be framed on April 10 as it has been fixed as the next date,” said Vishwajeet Mukherjee, Pooja Singhal’s lawyer. The court rejected her discharge petition on April 3 and fixed April 5 to frame the charges.
The defence requested time on Wednesday because they have a matter scheduled in Supreme Court on April 6. After hearing both sides, the court set the next date for April 10 for charge framing.
Pooja Singhal, the mining secretary of Jharkhand, was arrested in May in connection with a money-laundering investigation involving the alleged embezzlement of MGNREGA funds, among other charges.
She was the second arrest in this case after Chartered Accountant Suman Kumar was arrested on May 7. The ED recovered Rs 17.51 crore from Kumar’s premises and Rs 1.8 crore from Pulse Hospital.
Singhal was arrested after the ED obtained credible evidence of her relationship with CA Suman Kumar.
Pooja Singhal was the Secretary of Mines and Geology as well as the Managing Director of the Jharkhand State Mineral Development Corporation Limited. (JSMDC).
