Pooja Singhal, a suspended IAS officer from the Jharkhand cadre, has been granted bail by the Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Ranchi after spending 28 months in jail on corruption charges.
Singhal’s plea for bail cited provisions under the amended law, which allows for release if an accused has served one-third of the maximum sentence applicable in their case. The court had earlier sought a report from the Superintendent of Birsa Munda Central Jail on the duration of Singhal's judicial custody. The report confirmed that she had been imprisoned for approximately 28 months.
The charges against Singhal include allegations of misappropriating funds and abusing her authority during her tenure as the mines secretary and as a deputy commissioner in several districts. The case involves corruption linked to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), a flagship rural employment program of the Central government. Her arrest followed the seizure of ₹24 crore in cash from her Chartered Accountant’s residence.