Jharkhand IAS Officer, Who Set Record For Cracking UPSC at 21, Gets Bail After 2 Years In Money Laundering Case

Pooja Singhal has been in custody since May 11, 2022, after raids were conducted at properties linked to her in connection with the money laundering case.

A special PMLA court in Ranchi has granted bail to suspended Jharkhand cadre IAS officer Pooja Singhal in a money laundering case. 

Singhal has been in custody since May 11, 2022, after raids were conducted at properties linked to her in connection with the money laundering case. 

She was charged in the case relating to the alleged corruption in implementing MGNREGA, the Centre's flagship scheme for rural employment. The probe agency accused Singhal, a former state mines department secretary, of money laundering. 

The ED in May 2022 conducted raids in 18 locations across four states- Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, and Punjab, and recovered Rs 18 crore in cash from the house of a Ranchi-based Chartered Accountant who is allegedly linked to Singhal.

It also seized over Rs 36 crore in cash linked to alleged illegal mining in two money laundering cases. She was suspended following her arrest. 

Pooja Singhal Cracked UPSC At 21

The former Jharkhand cadre officer had cleared the prestigious Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination examination on her first attempt after graduation at the age of 21. The achievement at a remarkably young age earned her a place in the 'Limca Book of Records'.

Born and raised in Dehradun, the suspended IAS officer was a bright student throughout her academic journey, according to a report in News18. She excelled in her studies and remained the topper of her class from school to college. She cleared the UPSC Civil Services Examination in 1999 on her first attempt.

The 2000-batch Indian Administration Services (IAS) officer was appointed as the Secretary of the Mines and Industries departments in Jharkhand in 2021. She has also served as the agriculture secretary before serving as the state mines department secretary. 

She was also the secretary of the Department of Mines and Geology and the Managing Director of Jharkhand State Mineral Development Corporation Limited (JSMDC).