The Supreme Court granted major relief to former Jharkhand cadre IAS officer Vinay Kumar Choubey (IAS:1999:JH) in a land scam case by giving him conditional bail. Choubey, former Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Hemant Soren, had been jailed on charges of a fraudulent land scam.
A division bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and Ujjwal Bhuyan granted him bail, but he has been barred from leaving the country while on bail. Besides, he has been strictly asked not to influence witnesses or evidence related to the case.
Choubey’s bail plea had been rejected on January 6 by a bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi of the Jharkhand High Court on the ground that relief was not acceptable due to the gravity of the case. Choubey then moved the Supreme Court for it.
According to reports, the FIR in the case had been registered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in August last year, after which a charge sheet was filed. Vinay Choubey was alleged to have committed irregularities in the transfer of servitude land while serving as Hazaribagh Deputy Commissioner.
The Supreme Court Collegium, in its meeting held on April 14, 2026, has recommended a series of judicial appointments and elevations across multiple High Courts, including Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Bombay.
In the Telangana High Court, the Collegium has recommended the elevation of four Additional Judges as Permanent Judges. The judges are:
Justice Yara Renuka
Justice Nandikonda Narsing Rao
Justice E Tirumala Devi
Justice BR Madhusudhan Rao
For the Karnataka High Court, the Collegium has recommended the elevation of three judicial officers as Judges:
Rajeshwari Narayana Hegde
Kedambadi Ganesh Shanthi
Mahadevappa Brungesh
In the Kerala High Court, two advocates have been recommended for appointment as Judges:
Preeta Aravindan Krishnamma
Liz Mathew Anthraper
Meanwhile, for the Bombay High Court, the Collegium has approved the proposal to appoint Justice Manjusha Ajay Deshpande, currently serving as an Additional Judge, as a Permanent Judge.
The changing global security landscape has begun to find reverberation. It was evident when Cabinet Secretary Dr T V Somanathan (IAS:1987:TN) talked about the need to focus on India’s key strategic priorities to strengthen the national preparedness amid a rapidly evolving global scenario.
Somanathan highlighted it while addressing senior leaders of the Indian Army during the ongoing Army Commanders’ Conference on Tuesday.
Somanathan’s address was part of the broader deliberations on strengthening national security, operational preparedness, and institutional synergy at the conference.
The Cabinet Secretary underscored the urgency for developing sovereign Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities, highlighting their critical role in ensuring strategic autonomy and safeguarding national interests in the face of emerging technological challenges.
Somanathan also emphasized the importance of building resilient supply chains, noting that geopolitical disruptions have reinforced the necessity for robust and secure logistics and production networks.
The country’s top-most bureaucrat called for stronger civil-military cooperation, asserting that a whole-of-nation approach is vital to achieving optimal outcomes in both conflict and peacetime scenarios.
He said self-reliance is not just a policy directive but a national mindset, where every sector, institution, and citizen contributes to building a resilient India.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on Wednesday (April 8, 2026) approved empanelment of 64 officers from various services for holding Joint Secretary-equivalent rank posts in Government of India.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on Tuesday (April 14, 2026) approved the appointment of two officers—Smitha Mol M S (IAS:2013:TR) and Ambica Anand (ISS:2019)—in the Eighth Central Pay Commission (8th CPC) under the Department of Expenditure on lateral shift basis.
Smitha Mol M S, who was serving as Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Civil Aviation, has been appointed as Deputy Secretary in the 8th CPC. Her appointment has been made on a co-terminus basis with the 8th CPC and is extendable up to April 14, 2029 (i.e. the balance period of her admissible four-year tenure under the central staffing scheme), or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Ambica Anand, currently serving as Director in the Ministry of Steel, has been appointed as Director in the 8th CPC. Her tenure will also be on a co-terminus basis with the Commission and is extendable up to October 13, 2030 (i.e. the balance period of her admissible five-year tenure under the central staffing scheme), or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Both appointments have been approved based on the recommendation of the Civil Services Board (CSB).
Pooja Singhal IAS is a senior officer of the Indian Administrative Service from the Jharkhand cadre. A 2000 batch officer, she has worked across several key departments including agriculture, industries, mines, and district administration. Over the years, she has built a reputation for handling diverse administrative responsibilities at both district and state levels.
Early Life & Education
Pooja Singhal was born on 7 July 1978 in Uttar Pradesh. She comes from a Hindi-speaking background and is fluent in Hindi and English.
Talking about pooja singhal education, she completed her graduation in Business Management with first division. Her academic training provided a strong base for her career in public administration.
UPSC Journey & Rank
Like many civil servants, her journey began with the UPSC Civil Services Examination. While the exact pooja singhal ias rank is not publicly available, she was selected through direct recruitment and joined the IAS in 2000.
pooja singhal ias batch: 2000
Cadre: Jharkhand
Selection: Direct UPSC Recruitment
Career & Key Postings
Throughout her career, Pooja Singhal has handled several important administrative roles. She has worked extensively in district administration and later moved to senior positions in state departments.
Key positions include:
Deputy Commissioner – Khunti, Palamu, Pakur
District Magistrate – Chatra
Labour Commissioner – Jharkhand
Managing Director – Industries & Mines
Secretary – Agriculture & Animal Husbandry
Secretary – Industries Department
She also served as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the Chief Secretary, a role that involves close coordination with top-level administration.
Current Posting
She was earlier placed under suspension on May 12, 2022. The suspension was later revoked, and on February 18, 2025, she was entrusted with key responsibilities, including Secretary, Information Technology & e-Governance Department, Jharkhand, along with additional charge as CEO of Jharkhand Communication Network Limited.
Before this, she was serving as Secretary in the Industries and Mines Department in Jharkhand.
Personal Life
Details about pooja singhal husband and family are not widely available in the public domain. She has largely kept her personal life private, with most public information focused on her administrative work.
Net Worth
There is no officially confirmed data regarding pooja singhal ias net worth. Any figures available online are speculative and should not be considered verified.
Training & Professional Development
During her career, she has participated in important mid-career training programs, including:
Phase III Training Programme (2008)
Phase IV Mid-Career Training (2016)
These programs are designed to enhance decision-making, leadership, and governance skills of IAS officers.
Pooja Singhal IAS has had a long administrative career with experience across multiple departments and leadership roles. From district-level postings to Secretary-level responsibilities, her journey reflects the wide-ranging duties handled by civil servants in India.
FAQ
Q1. Who is Pooja Singhal?
Pooja Singhal is an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 2000 batch from the Jharkhand cadre. She has served in multiple key administrative roles in the state government.
Q2. What is Pooja Singhal batch and cadre?
Pooja Singhal belongs to the 2000 batch of the IAS and is allocated to the Jharkhand cadre.
Q3. What is Pooja Singhal current posting?
As per available information, Pooja Singhal is currently under suspension since May 2022. Her last posting was as Secretary in the Industries and Mines departments in Jharkhand.
Q4. What is Pooja Singhal education?
She completed her graduation in Business Management with first division, which contributed to her administrative career.
Q5. What is Pooja Singhal IAS rank in UPSC?
The exact UPSC rank of Pooja Singhal is not publicly available, but she was selected through direct recruitment in the Civil Services Examination.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) continues its action of shifting bureaucrats for the forthcoming West Bengal Assembly elections. In the latest one, it has appointed Odisha cadre IPS officer M Sarvana Vivek (IPS:2015:OD) as police observer for the Bengal elections.
According to the notification issued by the poll panel, the IPS officer will be on deputation to the ECI during the period of his assignment and will function under its “control, superintendence, and discipline.”
He will oversee police-related arrangements during the two-phased polls and will be stationed at the office of the Chief Electoral Officer in Kolkata. As per the notification, Vivek will submit inputs to the ECI from time to time, in line with its directives.
The notification stipulates that the timeline of his duty will start on the date of his appointment and end on the date of completion of the election.
The state will be going to the polls on April 23 and 29, and the counting will be held on May 4.
IAS officer Hardik Satishchandra Shah has been elevated as Private Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Joint Secretary level, marking a significant progression in his role within the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
Importantly, Shah is not new to the position. He has already been serving as Private Secretary to the Prime Minister for the past few years, initially at the Deputy Secretary and later at the Director-equivalent level. The latest order formalises his elevation to the Joint Secretary rank, reflecting the continued trust reposed in him at the highest level of governance.
Hardik Satishchandra Shah (IAS:2010:GJ) belongs to the Gujarat cadre and was inducted into the IAS in 2010 under the Non-SCS category. Born on July 3, 1973, he has a strong academic background in environmental science and law, holding an M.E. in Environmental Science and an LL.B./B.L. degree.
Before joining the IAS, Shah worked with the Gujarat Pollution Control Board, gaining domain expertise in environmental regulation. He later held key positions in Gujarat, including Member Secretary of the Gujarat Pollution Control Board and senior roles in the Forest and Environment Department.
His central deputation began in January 2017, when he was appointed as Private Secretary to the Minister in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
In September 2019, Shah moved to the PMO as Deputy Secretary. By August 2020, he was designated as Private Secretary to the Prime Minister at the Deputy Secretary level. He was subsequently elevated to the Director-equivalent level in June 2024, continuing in the same role.
The latest appointment elevates him to the Joint Secretary level, with tenure up to May 31, 2029, on a co-terminus basis.
The Supreme Court on Monday came to the rescue of Karnataka IAS officer Rohini Sindhuri (IAS:2009:KN) by staying the High Court’s order directing the state government to give approval for her prosecution in a corruption case. Sindhuri is facing corruption allegations in the alleged “cloth bag scam” during her tenure as Mysuru Deputy Commissioner way back in 2021.
The High Court earlier this month had directed the state govt to grant sanction for registration of FIR against her in connection with irregularities in the procurement of eco-friendly bags for distribution within Mysore City Corporation and other local bodies.
Under section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, the government’s approval is mandatory for registering an FIR in cases wherein the allegation pertains to a decision taken during the discharge of official functions.
The state govt had declined to give its approval to register an FIR against Sindhuri twice in the past, as the officer had been exonerated in a departmental inquiry. Yet the High Court asked the govt to consider giving approval afresh.
Sindhuri then moved the apex court, challenging the validity of the High Court’s order.
A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma issued notices to the complainant and others based on her plea.
The complaint in the case alleged that eco-friendly bags were procured from KHDC at Rs 52 per bag, while the same bags could be procured at Rs 13 per bag in the retail market. The procurement allegedly resulted in a loss of Rs 5.89 crore to the exchequer.
It was further alleged that funds earmarked for welfare schemes for the economically vulnerable sections within the Grama Panchayats were diverted to procurement.
A Mysuru-based lawyer and social activist, N R Ravinchandre Gowda, had filed a complaint against her with the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), which sought approval to register an FIR in the case, but the approval was rejected.
The complainant challenged it in the HC, which directed the state govt to reconsider it afresh in accordance with law.
The timing is crucial. While Nitish Kumar’s exit had already been announced earlier, it was formalised only today with his resignation as Chief Minister. However, the Central Government’s Joint Secretary-level appointment orders—issued a day prior—had already set the tone for a shift in Bihar’s administrative structure.
A number of influential IAS and IPS officers from the Bihar cadre have been moved to the Centre, many of whom were closely associated with the Chief Minister’s Office. The sequence of events has triggered strong signals within bureaucratic circles that a transition in administrative control was already underway before the formal political change.
Among the key names is Anupam Kumar (IAS:2003:BH), considered one of Nitish Kumar’s most trusted aides during his tenure as Secretary to the Chief Minister. He has been appointed as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy.
In a parallel development, his wife, Pratima Satish Kumar Verma (IAS:2002:BH), has been appointed as Commissioner (JS level) in the National Education Society for Tribal Affairs (NESTS). The simultaneous movement of this influential bureaucratic couple to Delhi is being viewed as a significant marker of the changing administrative landscape.
Further, senior IPS officer Rakesh Rathi (IPS:2002:BH) has been appointed as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs. IAS officers Vandana Preyasi (IAS:2003:BH) and Saravanan M (IAS:2002:BH) have also been assigned Joint Secretary-level roles in the Departments of Fertilizers and Space, respectively.
The movement of these trusted officers to Delhi suggests that the bureaucracy is being recalibrated for a post-Nitish phase. Sources indicate that more officers are in the queue for central deputation, pointing towards a broader and phased administrative realignment.
While these officers will take charge of their new assignments only after being formally relieved by the Bihar government, The sequence—appointments of Bihar cadre officers to central posts issued a day before Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s formal resignation—signals that the administrative reset had begun ahead of the political transition.
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