New Delhi, Sept 25: The Supreme Court on Friday declined to interfere with the trial court proceedings against former Jharkhand Mines Department secretary and IAS officer Pooja Singhal in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the implementation of the MGNREGA scheme.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana did not accept Singhal’s plea seeking quashing of the cognizance order passed by the special PMLA court in Ranchi.
During the hearing, Singhal’s counsel challenged the proceedings on the ground that prior government sanction required under Section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) had not been obtained.
The defence also disputed the prosecution’s reliance on the recovery of around Rs 19 crore, arguing that the amount recovered from a chartered accountant could not be attributed to Singhal. Her counsel also referred to different statements allegedly given by the accountant during the investigation.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED), however, opposed the plea and maintained that the cognizance of the alleged offences had been taken much earlier.The bench observed that the question of sanction could not be decided in isolation and would depend, among other things, on whether the alleged acts were performed in connection with the officer’s official duties.
The court indicated that the issue could be examined along with the evidence at the appropriate stage of the proceedings.The defence had also raised the issue of the applicability of provisions concerning sanction under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which replaced the CrPC in 2024.
The prosecution argued that the new legal framework provides for deemed sanction in certain circumstances.
Singhal was arrested by the ED on May 11, 2022, during an investigation into alleged financial irregularities connected with MGNREGA works in Jharkhand. The agency subsequently initiated proceedings under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The special PMLA court in Ranchi took cognizance of the alleged offences on July 19, 2022. Singhal later approached the Jharkhand High Court seeking to set aside the order, but the plea was rejected.
The Supreme Court’s latest proceedings do not amount to a finding of guilt against Singhal. The money laundering case will continue through the judicial process, where the prosecution’s allegations and the defence’s objections will be examined on the basis of evidence.
