The Special PMLA court of Prabhat Kumar Sharma on Wednesday extended the judicial custody of suspended IAS officer Pooja Singhal till June 22. She was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on the charges of money laundering in the MGNREGA scam case in Khunti district.
Lodged at the Birsa Munda Central Jail she was produced before the court through video conferencing. The court directed the ED to produce medical reports and prescriptions related to her treatment. The court asked her whether she was facing any problems in the jail and whether she was given facilities under the jail manual. She said that she was not facing any problem.
The special prosecutor of the ED, BMP Singh said that the court has extended her judicial remand for the next 14 days. She was arrested by the ED on May 11, five days after the agency carried out raids at her residence along with her CA Suman Kumar and other suspects like her husband Abhishek Jha.
She was taken on the police remand thrice for around 14 days along with Suman Kumar, during which she was asked to explain the source of investment made in the Pulse Hospital owned by her husband. Besides, she was also confronted by several district mining officials.
Her police remand had concluded on May 25. The ED secured her police remand thrice on the ground that her interrogation was required to know the source of money and properties raised by her besides investment made in the construction of the Pulse Hospital.
During the previous hearing, ED lawyer BMP Singh had requested the court to allow the ED to question her in judicial custody as required. The ED said that the investigation is at a crucial stage and new evidence is coming, hence, the ED may need to question her. The ED requested the court to pass an order to the jail superintendent to allow the ED to question her inside the jail.
At the Birsa Munda Jail she is lodged along with former Congress MLA Nirmala Devi in the upper divisional cell. She spends her time reading spiritual literature.