"Single Mother In Jail With 3yr Old," Supreme Court Grants Bail To DSP Pooja Pandey In Hawala Loot Case

The Supreme Court today granted bail to woman Deputy Superintendent of Police Pooja Pandey, accused of misappropriating funds during an alleged hawala interception operation in Madhya Pradesh.

Pandey and 11 other policemen are accused of looting Rs 2.96 crore in collusion with a hawala businessman. 

CJI Surya Kant led bench today told Senior Advocate Siddharth Luthra, appearing for Pandey that it was granting bail to her on humanitarian grounds and not on merits.

The bench also comprising Justice Joymalya Bagchi noted that Pandey had been staying in jail with her 3 year old daughter.

The case arose from an FIR registered at Police Station Lakhnwada, District Seoni, for offences punishable under Sections 310(2), 126(2), 114(3), and 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

The policemen were suspended In October last year for allegedly misappropriating Rs 1.5 crore out of a total of Rs 2.96 crore in suspected hawala money in Seoni district, Madhya Pradesh. Director General of Police (DGP) Kailash Makwana had ordered the suspension of SDOP Pooja Pandey.

A complaint was filed by Sohan Parmar, a resident of Nagpur, Maharashtra, who alleged that while he was traveling from Katni in Madhya Pradesh to Jalna in Maharashtra with Rs 2.96 crore in cash, allegedly belonging to a bullion trader. a police search team led by SDOP Pooja Pandey intercepted the vehicle near Sheeladevi Bypass under the jurisdiction of Lakhanwada Police Station. Parmar was detained, and the cash was taken to Bandol Police Station, where he was held overnight.

Instead of following the due legal procedure for cash seizure, the police released the vehicle and Parmar the following morning without proper documentation or action. The bullion trader from Maharashtra later discovered that the official police report only acknowledged the seizure of Rs 1.45 crore — with the remaining Rs 1.5 crore allegedly misappropriated by the involved officers.

Case Title: Pooja Pandey vs. State of MP

Bench: CJI Kant and Justice Bagchi

Hearing Date: May 18, 2026