New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday rejected suspended Jharkhand cadre IAS officer Pooja Singhal's plea seeking bail in a money laundering case, saying it was an "exceptional case".
A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta refused to interfere with the Jharkhand High Court order denying him bail.
The top court said that 12 of the 17 prosecution witnesses have been examined by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and hoped that the hearing in the case would be completed expeditiously.
“You wait for some more time for bail. This is not an ordinary case but an extraordinary case.There is something seriously wrong in this case. We are not inclined to entertain the petition urgently. We hope that the litigation will be concluded expeditiously." it observed.
However, the bench granted liberty to Singhal to revive his bail plea if the trial drags on or there is any other change in the circumstances.
Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the ED, opposed the bail plea and said that out of the total custody period, he has spent most of the time in a hospital in Ranchi.On February 10, 2023, the apex court had granted interim bail to Singhal for two months so that he could take care of his ailing daughter.
Singhal has been in custody since May 11, 2022, following raids on properties linked to him in a money laundering case.
The case pertains to alleged corruption in the implementation of MNREGA, the Centre's flagship scheme for rural employment.
The ED has accused Singhal, a former secretary of the state mining department, of money laundering and said its team has seized over Rs 36 crore in cash linked to allegations of illegal mining in two separate money laundering probes.
Apart from the 2000 batch IAS officer, her businessman husband, a charter accountant associated with the couple and others were also raided by the ED as part of its money laundering probe.Singhal was suspended after his arrest.
A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta refused to interfere with the Jharkhand High Court order denying him bail.
The top court said that 12 of the 17 prosecution witnesses have been examined by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and hoped that the hearing in the case would be completed expeditiously.
“You wait for some more time for bail. This is not an ordinary case but an extraordinary case.There is something seriously wrong in this case. We are not inclined to entertain the petition urgently. We hope that the litigation will be concluded expeditiously." it observed.
However, the bench granted liberty to Singhal to revive his bail plea if the trial drags on or there is any other change in the circumstances.
Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the ED, opposed the bail plea and said that out of the total custody period, he has spent most of the time in a hospital in Ranchi.On February 10, 2023, the apex court had granted interim bail to Singhal for two months so that he could take care of his ailing daughter.
Singhal has been in custody since May 11, 2022, following raids on properties linked to him in a money laundering case.
The case pertains to alleged corruption in the implementation of MNREGA, the Centre's flagship scheme for rural employment.
The ED has accused Singhal, a former secretary of the state mining department, of money laundering and said its team has seized over Rs 36 crore in cash linked to allegations of illegal mining in two separate money laundering probes.
Apart from the 2000 batch IAS officer, her businessman husband, a charter accountant associated with the couple and others were also raided by the ED as part of its money laundering probe.Singhal was suspended after his arrest.
