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POOJA SINGHAL was once seen as one of India's brightest young minds after clearing the UPSC Civil Service Examinations at just 21 years of age in her first attempt. However, more than two decades later, the 2000-batch IAS officer finds herself at the centre of one of the state's high-profile corruption cases.

From serving key government departments to being arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), spending more than two years in jail and later returning as senior government official, Singhal's career has seen a dramatic and controversial rise and fall.

Who is IAS Pooja Singhal?

Born on July 7, 1978, in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, Pooja Singhal cracked the UPSC Civil Services Examination in her very first attempt in 2000. She secured All India Rank 10 and joined the Indian Administrative Services from the Jharkhand cadre at the age of 21, making her one of the country's youngest IAS officers at the time.

Since then, Singhal has served in several important positions over the years including departments like Health and Family Welfare, Agriculture, Mines and Industries.  In 2022, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested her in a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

In May 2022, ED had carried out multiple raids in sites linked to IAS Singhal and claimed to have recovered around ₹36 crore in cash. The agency also attached immovable properties worth nearly ₹82 crore as part of its investigation. Besides the alleged MGNREGA irregularities, investigators also examined issues related to mining leases during her tenure.

On May 12, 2022, a day after her arrest, the Jharkhand government suspended Singhal from service. She remained in judicial custody for nearly 28 months before a Special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Ranchi granted her bail on December 7, 2024.

See Also: Who is Rajendrakumar Patel? Gujarat HC Rejects IAS Officer’s Bail Plea in ₹3 Crore Bribery Case, Saying 'Money Laundering Scars Nation's Economy'

Reinstatement After Bail and More Charges Against Relatives

Soon after her bail in 2024, the Jharkhand government revoked Pooja Singhal’s suspension, allowing her to rejoin service. In February 2025, she was appointed Secretary of the Department of Information Technology and e-Governance. The 2000-batch IAS officer was also given additional charge as Chief Executive Officer of Jharkhand Communication Network Ltd. (JCNL). As of July 2026, Singhal continues to hold all these positions despite the money laundering investigation still ongoing.

On March 31, 2026, the ED filed its fifth supplementary charge sheet before the special PMLA court in Ranchi, naming five additional accused. Among those named were Singhal's mother Kamlesh Singhal, her brother Siddharth Singhal, and her mother-in-law Amita Jha. The other two accused were Radheshyam Fireworks LLP and Pawan Kumar Singh. The ED alleged that these individuals and entities helped conceal and launder the alleged proceeds of crime.

The agency has also asked the court to attach a 17-decimal plot in Ranchi's Boreya area, worth around ₹1.33 crore, alleging that the land was bought using laundered money. The investigation is still underway, and the court has not yet given its final verdict in the case.

However, Singhal's reinstatement despite the pending money laundering case is a point of concern. The BJP has repeatedly questioned the UPA government in Jharkhand that restored her to an important administrative post while the trial is still underway. At the time of her reinstatement in 2024, the state government had maintained that the suspension was revoked after she secured bail and that legal proceedings against her are continuing independently.

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