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Accountability and integrity of bureaucracy go for a toss as scam-tainted IAS officer Pooja Singhal gets reinstated to office by Jharkhand government

Based on the multiple FIRs filed by the Jharkhand Police and the Vigilance Bureau Jharkhand, the ED launched a money laundering probe against IAS Pooja Singhal. The Khunti district MGNREGA scam in Jharkhand is one of the biggest high-profile scams.

It happens only in India where corrupt politicians thrive with impunity, corrupt “Sarkari babus” cling to their positions like barnacles and all it takes for a career comeback for a money laundering accused IAS officer is a brief stint in jail and the backing of a land scam-accused government. The dramatic episode of corruption-tainted IAS Pooja Singhal’s arrest to reinstatement to “public service” in Jharkhand would make even the most seasoned corruption-accused politicians blush. Money laundering accused IAS Pooja Singhal has been welcomed back to the prestigious bureaucratic fold by the CM Hemant Soren-led government in Jharkhand on Wednesday (22nd January 2025).

Pooja Singhal’s reinstatement to her position comes after she secured bail from a special court on 7th December 2024. Singhal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate over allegations of corruption in the implementation of MNERGA, the Centre’s flagship scheme for rural employment. Now Pooja Singhal will serve in the Department of Personnel, Administrative Reforms and Raj Bhasha.

A notification issued by the Department of Personnel, Administrative Reforms and Raj Bhasa, revoking Singhal’s suspension read, “In light of the recommendations made by the Suspension Review Committee after due consideration, Pooja Singhal, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, has been reinstated with effect from December 7, 2024, following her release on bail.”

It has been reported that Pooja Singhal arrived at the PMLA court on Wednesday to examine the attested documents seized by the Enforcement Directorate. However, due to undisclosed reasons, she could not do so. In this case, accused CA Suman Kumar inspected the attested documents. The next hearing on the matter is slated for 30th January.

Slamming JMM and Congress for Pooja Singhal’s reinstatement, BJP MP Ravi Shankar said, “Jharkhand’s IAS officer Pooja Singhal was arrested for corruption. Rs 16 crores were recovered from her CA… PMLA officials also recovered Rs. 36 crores in cash from her… She was in jail for the last 28 months. She got bail in December and on January 21, her suspension was withdrawn and she was reinstated… An IAS officer against whom a trial is underway and PMLA court has registered a case, crores of rupees were recovered, has been reinstated as soon as she got out of jail… Congress is also a part of the Jharkhand government and they have to answer what is happening… My question is to Rahul Gandhi who roams around with the Consitution in his hand… We condemn this and demand an answer from Congress…”

From becoming one of the youngest IAS officers to getting arrested for corruption: The journey of  IAS Pooja Singhal

Pooja Singhal is a 2000-batch IAS officer of the Jharkhand cadre. On the 6th of 2022, six places in Ranchi were raided by ED, one of which is a super speciality hospital of her second husband. Her first husband is a 1999 batch IAS officer in Jharkhand. The probe pertained to a case registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by the Enforcement Directorate in 2020 against Jharkhand junior engineer Ram Binod Prasad Sinha.

The central probe agency had taken cognizance of 16 FIRs and a charge sheet filed by the Jharkhand Vigilance Bureau against Sinha, according to which Sinha was accused of misappropriating government funds worth Rs 18.06 crore. Ram Binod Prasad Sinha was a junior engineer in Khunti when Pooja Singhal was the District Collector of Khunti.

Ram Binod Sinha had told the investigators that Pooja Singhal had obliged two NGOs, Welfare Point and Prerna Niketan with Rs 6 crores fund and had granted a mining lease on 83 acres of forest land in contravention of the environmental regulations. As deputy commissioner in Chatra, Palamu, and Khunti districts, she is alleged to have committed irregularities in the MNRGEA funds as well.

While Pooja Singhal was supposed to work for the upliftment of the poorest of the poor, she along with other accused ended up allegedly looting the poor people in the high-profile MNREGA Scam. Between February 16, 2009 and July 19, 2010, Pooja Singhal served as the deputy commissioner (DC) of Khunti. MGNREGA money was allegedly misappropriated in the Khunti region, along with other shady financial activities, during her stay there.

Based on the multiple FIRs filed by the Jharkhand Police and the Vigilance Bureau Jharkhand, the ED launched a money laundering probe against IAS Pooja Singhal. The Khunti district MGNREGA scam in Jharkhand is one of the biggest high-profile scams.

Pooja Singhal, who was apprehended by the Enforcement Directorate on the 11th of May in 2022, had served over two and a half years in prison. Her attorney argued for her release under the altered legal framework, which allows bail for accused whose judicial detention equals or surpasses one-third of the maximum term in the case at hand.

Singhal, a 2000 batch IAS officer, was arrested by the federal investigative agency for allegedly embezzling crores of MGNREGA funds in Jharkhand. In connection with the money laundering investigation, the Enforcement Directorate raided multiple Singhal-linked properties. Interestingly, back in 2022, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader and now CM Hemant Soren’s close aide Ravi Kejriwal was interrogated by ED in connection with this case. The former treasurer of JMM was expelled from the party after the scam was unearthed. Kejriwal revealed that on the instructions of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, his close aide Prem Prakash ordered money for illegal mining from Santhal and gave it to Kolkata businessman Amit Agarwal.

In a statement, the Enforcement Directorate said that it seized more than Rs 36.58 crore in cash tied to illegal mining operations during two separate investigations after the initial seizure of Rs 19.76 crore from premises linked to IAS Pooja Singhal and her accomplices. During this search operation, ED also seized five stone crushers that were being illegally operated from the Site and five illegal firearm cartridges. The evidence collected during the course of the investigation including statements of various persons, digital evidence and documents revealed that the seized cash/bank balance is derived from illegal mining being rampantly done in the Sahibganj area including the forest area.

A trail of further Rs. 100 Crore of Proceeds of crime generated from illegal mining was also unearthed by the probe agency. In May 2023, the ED said that they had attached immovable properties of Pooja Singhal worth Rs 82.77 crore.

In September 2024, the Supreme Court rejected Singhal’s bail plea as the bench noted that it was an “extraordinary case”. The ED had opposed the plea saying that Pooja Singhal most of her time in custody period in a hospital in Ranchi.

A detailed OpIndia explainer on the MNREGA Scam and Pooja Singhal’s role in it can be read here.

Corrupt ‘public servants’ coming back in the “system” with impunity: Accountability and integrity of public service in India undermined

The revocation of Pooja Singhal’s suspension and her reinstatement in office by the Jharkhand government despite serious money laundering allegations is alarming. The very fact that IAS Pooja Singhal could return to her duties after crores of unaccounted cash was seized by the federal probe agency, incriminating evidence of misuse of official position found and the money laundering case remaining sub-judice, indicates a clear lack of accountability within the “system”. Apparently, even serious corruption allegations may not have lasting consequences for those in power or influential positions.

This is a blatant normalisation of corruption and violation of public trust wherein corruption-accused government officials out on bail are allowed back into their roles with there being no clear resolution, or punishment for their illegal activities. While the court granting bail to Pooja Singhal is outrageous enough, the Jharkhand government revoking her suspension and reinstating her to office sends out a message to the public that there is no real accountability for corrupt officials while also sets a bad precedent. Clearly, the “system” not only shamelessly turns a blind eye to the wrongdoings of such officials but also rewards them.

Instead of fighting the menace of corruption in bureaucracy, the Hemant Soren-led government’s move fosters a culture of impunity wherein officers accused of corruption and misuse of position are emboldened, knowing that their malpractices would hardly have any impact on their careers in the long run. Apparently, political patronage helps the corrupt escape the clutches of the law.

Besides the fact that even blatantly corrupt individuals can be back in the “system” with impunity, the work of investigative agencies like ED who invested their relentless efforts and resources to investigate such cases, recover unaccounted funds and pursue legal action, are also undermined. The Pooja Singhal episode sends out a message to present and future civil servants that even corrupt practices are not essentially career-ending, particularly, if the government is keen on showing more dexterity in reinstating corruption-accused officials to office simply because they are out on bail than on ensuring that corruption does not happen under their watch.

While the legal proceedings against IAS Pooja Singhal will continue, the Jharkhand government’s decision to allow her back into service mocks the seriousness of judicial processes and obligation to ensure that the system is free from scam tainted officials and bureaucratic integrity is maintained. These deep-seated flaws within the administrative and political system of the country needs to be fixed. Singhal’s revocation of suspension and reinstatement to service not only puts a question mark on the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures and seriousness of the government but also violates moral fabric of public service.

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