IAS Officer Pooja Singhal Released on Bail Following 28 Months in Custody
IAS Officer Pooja Singhal Released on Bail Following 28 Months in Custody
Pooja Singhal, a Jharkhand cadre IAS officer, has been granted bail after spending 28 months in jail. Known for her academic excellence, Singhal cleared the UPSC Civil Services Exam in her first attempt at the age of 21. Her achievement earned her a place in the Limca Book of Records.
A native of Dehradun, Uttarakhand, Singhal topped all her exams from school to college. She graduated from Garhwal University and joined the IAS in 2000 after completing her training. Her first posting was in Hazaribagh, Jharkhand.
From February 2009 to July 2010, she served as the Deputy Commissioner of Khunti district. During this tenure, she was accused of misappropriating ₹18 crore from the MGNREGA funds. Similar allegations of siphoning ₹4 crore from MGNREGA surfaced during her tenure in Chatra. In Palamu, she was accused of relaxing norms to allocate land for mining purposes.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) began investigating her in connection with the MGNREGA scam. In May 2022, the ED conducted raids at multiple locations linked to her and seized key documents. On May 11, 2022, Singhal was arrested on charges of money laundering.
Now, the ED court has granted her bail on a personal bond of ₹2 lakh. Singhal’s release is expected soon. The case remains under investigation, and her suspension from the IAS continues.
Despite her academic brilliance and early success, Pooja Singhal’s career has been overshadowed by serious allegations of corruption. Her release on bail has reignited public and media interest in the case.
