In a huge relief to Jharkhand cadre IAS officer Pooja Singhal the Jharkhand High Court on Monday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) requesting a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into the infamous MGNREGA scam. The Court closed the matter on Monday.
The High Court had earlier initiated a suo motu PIL to examine Pooja Singhal's involvement in alleged irregularities in the MGNREGA scheme during her tenure as Deputy Commissioner of Khunti district.
A bench comprising Chief Justice MS Ramachandra Rao and Justice Deepak Roshan stated that the police and the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) had thoroughly investigated the case and filed a charge sheet.
With no unresolved issues remaining, the Court decided to dispose of the case and close the PIL.
“The Court observed that since the ACB and police had already investigated the matter and filed a charge sheet, there is no further need for action, leading to the closure of the PIL,” said Advocate Piyush Chitresh, representing the state government.
The case involved allegations of financial irregularities exceeding Rs 200 crore in MGNREGA schemes in Khunti. At the time of the alleged scam, Pooja
Singhal was serving as the Deputy Commissioner of the district.
A total of 16 FIRs were registered across various police stations in Khunti concerning the issue. The investigation was subsequently handed over to the ACB.
The petitioner had alleged that while the ACB investigated the matter, it failed to probe Singhal's role, despite her signing the cheques related to the MGNREGA payments.
The petitioner requested the High Court to involve the ED in examining her role. Acting on these concerns, the Court had taken suo motu cognizance of the matter.
Singhal, who had been in jail for 28 months in connection with a money laundering case linked to the MGNREGA scam, was granted bail in December last year by a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Ranchi.
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