THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
Ranchi, July 19: The Jharkhand government has not yet granted prosecution sanction against suspended bureaucrat Pooja Singhal in a money laundering case, prompting the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to move the court seeking “deemed sanction” to initiate trial.
The ED had formally sought approval from the state government nearly five months ago, as required under a Supreme Court ruling issued in November 2024.
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The verdict made it mandatory to obtain prior government sanction before prosecuting public servants under money laundering charges. Before this ruling, no such approval was necessary.
Despite the legal requirement and the lapse of the 120-day deadline, the state government has not provided any response to the ED’s request.
As a result, the agency has now filed a petition before the trial court arguing that the government’s silence should be treated as an implied approval — or deemed sanction — for prosecution.
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In its petition, the ED has cited multiple directions issued by the Supreme Court in similar cases to support its claim.
The agency has urged the court to allow prosecution to proceed, arguing that indefinite silence by the state cannot be allowed to stall legal action in a case involving serious charges of money laundering.
