SC to hear anticipatory bail plea of suspended IAS officer Pooja Singhal's husband on June 23

New Delhi [India], June 16 : The Supreme Court on Friday adjourned the plea of Abhishek Jha, the husband of suspended Jharkhand cadre IAS officer Pooja Singhal, seeking anticipatory bail to the Enforcement Directorate.

ED has been investigating the MNREGA scam and money laundering case in which the couple was accused.

A vacation bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Ahsanuddin Amanullah posted the matter for hearing on next Friday (June 23) after Jha's advocate sought a postponement.

During the hearing, the bench declined to grant interim protection as of now from arrest to the petitioner.

The counsel urged the bench to only adjourn the matter for the next week so that the senior advocate can argue the case. This bench has not been permitting senior counsels to argue the cases during the court's vacation.

The 2000-batch IAS officer Pooja Singhal was accused along with her husband and others in connection with a money laundering case registered by a federal agency pertaining to the alleged embezzlement of MGNREGA funds in Khunti district during 2009-2010 and some other suspicious financial transactions.

The ED has accused a suspended IAS officer of money laundering and said its team seized more than Rs 36 crore cash linked to alleged illegal mining as part of two separate money laundering investigations.

Apart from Singhal, her businessman husband, a chartered accountant associated with the couple, and others were also raided by the ED as part of the money laundering probe.

Singhal, who was holding the charge of Jharkhand mining secretary, was suspended by the state government following her arrest by the ED.

Suman Kumar, a chartered accountant linked to Singhal and her husband, was also arrested by the ED and cash totalling Rs 19.76 crore was seized from him.