<p>The Supreme Court on Friday declined to consider a plea for anticipatory bail filed by Abhishek Jha, businessman-husband of high profile Jharkhand cadre IAS officer Pooja Singhal in a money laundering case probed by the Enforcement Directorate.</p>.<p>A vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and M M Sundresh fixed the petition for consideration on July 5.</p>.<p>The court said the matter may be put before a bench led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul which had earlier granted interim bail to the petitioner's wife.</p>.<p>Jha challenged the validity of the High Court order of May 18, refusing to exercise the discretion of granting him anticipatory bail under section 438 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973.</p>.<p>Singhal was the Secretary of the Department of Mines and Geology and the Managing Director of Jharkhand State Mineral Development Corporation Limited (JSMDC). On May 11, 2022, the ED arrested her and she was suspended by the Jharkhand government a day later on May 12. The Enforcement Directorate had alleged that material recovered from IAS officer Singhal, after her arrest, showed direct linkage with political higher ups. She was also accused of irregularities in disbursement of MGNREGA funds in 2010. </p>.<p>Her husband, in his plea, claimed he is a well-educated and established businessman who has, entirely on his own, established Pulse Sanjeevani Healthcare Pvt Ltd and successfully managed and ran Pulse Hospital and Pulse Diagnostic Centre. </p>.<p>"During the commission of the alleged predicate offence, the petitioner was pursuing his Master's in Business Administration (MBA) in Australia and was primarily stationed there from 2008 to 2011. The alleged predicate offence pertains to the period 2009-2010, a period more than 12-13 years ago, and is related to certain FIRs having been registered against certain individuals in that period. The name of the petitioner is not and could not have been a part of the said FIRs owing to his absence from the country itself," his plea stated.</p>.<p>He said he got acquainted with Pooja Singhal in the later part of 2010, and they further got married on June 20, 2011.</p>.<p>On May 7, 2022, the ED had arrested Suman Kumar, Chartered Accountant, a day after a raid. He allegedly recorded a statement that majority of the cash amount of Rs.17.79 crores seized from his residential and official premises of belonged to the petitioner's wife, Singhal. </p>.<p>On July 05, 2022, the ED filed a supplementary prosecution complaint against the petitioner and several others alleging commission of offence of money laundering under Section 3 of the PMLA the Sessions Court, CBI-cum- PMLA, Ranchi. </p>.<p>In his plea, he said he had made himself readily available before the ED for interrogation and fully cooperated with the investigation.</p>
<p>The Supreme Court on Friday declined to consider a plea for anticipatory bail filed by Abhishek Jha, businessman-husband of high profile Jharkhand cadre IAS officer Pooja Singhal in a money laundering case probed by the Enforcement Directorate.</p>.<p>A vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and M M Sundresh fixed the petition for consideration on July 5.</p>.<p>The court said the matter may be put before a bench led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul which had earlier granted interim bail to the petitioner's wife.</p>.<p>Jha challenged the validity of the High Court order of May 18, refusing to exercise the discretion of granting him anticipatory bail under section 438 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973.</p>.<p>Singhal was the Secretary of the Department of Mines and Geology and the Managing Director of Jharkhand State Mineral Development Corporation Limited (JSMDC). On May 11, 2022, the ED arrested her and she was suspended by the Jharkhand government a day later on May 12. The Enforcement Directorate had alleged that material recovered from IAS officer Singhal, after her arrest, showed direct linkage with political higher ups. She was also accused of irregularities in disbursement of MGNREGA funds in 2010. </p>.<p>Her husband, in his plea, claimed he is a well-educated and established businessman who has, entirely on his own, established Pulse Sanjeevani Healthcare Pvt Ltd and successfully managed and ran Pulse Hospital and Pulse Diagnostic Centre. </p>.<p>"During the commission of the alleged predicate offence, the petitioner was pursuing his Master's in Business Administration (MBA) in Australia and was primarily stationed there from 2008 to 2011. The alleged predicate offence pertains to the period 2009-2010, a period more than 12-13 years ago, and is related to certain FIRs having been registered against certain individuals in that period. The name of the petitioner is not and could not have been a part of the said FIRs owing to his absence from the country itself," his plea stated.</p>.<p>He said he got acquainted with Pooja Singhal in the later part of 2010, and they further got married on June 20, 2011.</p>.<p>On May 7, 2022, the ED had arrested Suman Kumar, Chartered Accountant, a day after a raid. He allegedly recorded a statement that majority of the cash amount of Rs.17.79 crores seized from his residential and official premises of belonged to the petitioner's wife, Singhal. </p>.<p>On July 05, 2022, the ED filed a supplementary prosecution complaint against the petitioner and several others alleging commission of offence of money laundering under Section 3 of the PMLA the Sessions Court, CBI-cum- PMLA, Ranchi. </p>.<p>In his plea, he said he had made himself readily available before the ED for interrogation and fully cooperated with the investigation.</p>
