Supreme Court Today (July 30) slammed Tamil Nadu over delays in the cash-for-jobs scam trial involving ex-minister Senthil Balaji. Says trial needs a cricket stadium due to 2000+ accused and 500 witnesses.
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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday criticized the handling of the cash-for-jobs scam involving former state minister V. Senthil Balaji.
The top court was upset about the large number of people charged in the case — more than 2,000 — and questioned the seriousness of the trial process. The court demanded a complete list of all accused and witnesses from the state authorities.
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Calling the trial “rudderless ship“, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi remarked that, without the court’s involvement, the Tamil Nadu government would have simply buried the entire scam without proper legal action.
The bench said-
“With over 2000 accused and 500 witnesses it will be the most populated trial of India. A small courtroom of the trial court will not suffice and a cricket stadium will be needed to even mark the presence of the accused. Several Artificial Intelligence-generated accused will pop up to mark their presence.”
The court made this sharp comment while speaking to senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, who was representing Y. Balaji, a petitioner opposing the clubbing of multiple cases related to the scam. The court questioned why so many people were made accused and why the trial was being slowed down unnecessarily.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing on behalf of the Tamil Nadu government, was also questioned by the bench regarding the need for appointing a special public prosecutor. The court observed that when influential people like powerful ministers or rich individuals are involved in criminal cases, people lose faith in the process if only one public prosecutor handles it.
The bench noted that it gives a perception that justice may not be done, especially when power and influence are at play.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Supreme Court had already shown displeasure towards the Tamil Nadu government for “attempting to delay” the trial. The court said the move to implicate over 2,000 people appeared to be “a complete fraud on the judicial system.” It emphasized that the state was not being sincere in pursuing the matter fairly.
V. Senthil Balaji had resigned from the Tamil Nadu Cabinet on April 27, 2025, after the Supreme Court had made strong remarks against him. The top court had warned him earlier on April 23 to choose “between post and freedom,” indicating that his bail would be at risk if he did not step down as a minister.
What shocked the court was the fact that Balaji was reinstated shortly after getting bail in a money-laundering case linked to the same cash-for-jobs scandal. The court had already granted bail to him on September 26, 2024, but was clearly concerned about the larger implications and the trial’s slow progress.
The court noted that since Balaji had already spent more than 15 months in jail, it was unlikely that the trial would finish anytime soon.
Despite all the controversy, V. Senthil Balaji, aged 48, was once again sworn in as a minister on September 29, 2024. Surprisingly, he was given back his old ministerial portfolios — electricity, non-conventional energy development, prohibition, and excise — under the M. K. Stalin-led government.
CASE TITLE:
Y. Balaji vs. The State represented by Assistant Commissioner of Police and Another
Diary Number:
39380-2025
Advocates:
Y. Balaji (Petitioner) and Neha Rathi (Respondent)
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