Special PMLA court rejects ED's plea to bar IAS officer Pooja Singhal from govt posting

Ranchi: A special PMLA court in Ranchi on Friday rejected the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) plea to bar IAS officer Pooja Singhal from receiving a government posting, an advocate said.

The court had on Monday reserved its verdict after hearing arguments from both sides.

In its order, the court said preventing the state government from assigning a post to Singhal was beyond its jurisdiction and would not be considered.

The ED filed a petition on January 31, requesting that Singhal not be given any government position after her suspension was revoked.

The Jharkhand government revoked her suspension on January 21, following her bail from the PMLA court on December 7, 2024.

Singhal was arrested by the ED on May 11, 2022, in connection with an alleged money laundering case related to corruption in the implementation of MGNREGA, the central government's rural employment scheme. A day later, she was suspended.

In a recent IAS reshuffle, the government appointed Singhal as secretary of information technology and e-governance and CEO of Jharkhand Communication Network Limited.