The Supreme Court Today (April 29th) adjourned till May 6 the hearing on the bail plea of former Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate last year in connection with a money laundering case.
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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today postponed the hearing of the bail application of V Senthil Balaji, a former Tamil Nadu minister, until May 6. Balaji was apprehended last year by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case tied to a cash-for-jobs scandal during his tenure as transport minister in a previous AIADMK government.
The decision to adjourn was made by a bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, following a request for postponement by an attorney representing the ED, who noted the unavailability of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. The lawyer also informed the bench that the ED had submitted their response to Balaji’s bail plea.
Senior advocate Aryama Sundaram, representing Balaji, implored the bench to proceed with the hearing, highlighting that Balaji had already spent 320 days in jail. Despite this, the bench acknowledged they had not yet reviewed the ED’s reply and scheduled the next hearing for May 6.
Previously, on April 1, the Supreme Court had asked the ED to respond to Balaji’s plea for bail and issued a notice to the agency. This action followed the Madras High Court’s dismissal of the bail petition on February 28, where it was stated that releasing Balaji on bail would send a detrimental message and act against the public interest, considering the serious nature of the allegations.
The High Court had also recognized that Balaji had been incarcerated for over eight months and suggested that it would be prudent for the special court to expedite the case’s resolution within a specified timeframe. Consequently, the court mandated that the trial be conducted on a daily basis, adhering to guidelines set by the Supreme Court.
Adding to the legal proceedings against Balaji, the ED had filed a comprehensive 3,000-page charge sheet against him on August 12 of the previous year. His attempts at securing bail have been consistently unsuccessful, with both a local court and the High Court rejecting his bail pleas multiple times, most recently on October 19.
BACKGROUND
What is Balaji charged with?
It has been alleged that Balaji accepted bribes to appoint drivers, conductors, and engineers in the transport department during his tenure as transport minister.
He was also accused of engaging in fraudulent activities by accepting money from people and failing to provide them with the promised employment opportunities.
As a result of the complaint, a case was filed in 2015 under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Notably, the initial first information report (FIR) did not explicitly mention Balaji’s name.
Subsequently, a case was filed in the high court to include Balaji in the money laundering investigation. Following the high court’s directive, the central crime branch police filed a chargesheet against Balaji and 40 others, including his brother Ashokumar, brother-in-law Karthik, and Transport Corporation officials.
Opposition targets Centre over Balaji’s arrest
His arrest has not only enraged the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), with party chief and Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin accusing the ED of staging a “drama” in the name of investigation but has also been condemned by Opposition parties including the Congress.
Shortly after his arrest, Balaji was admitted to the Omandurar government hospital in Chennai after complaining of chest pain. He was seen grimacing in pain while lying in a car as his supporters gathered to protest against the ED action.
Who is Senthil Balaji?
Balaji, born on October 21, 1975, hails from an agricultural family in Rameswarapatti, Karur district. He attended Rameswarapatti Government School, Vivekananda School in Pasupathypalayam, and Municipal Higher Secondary School in Karur.
Balaji began his political career at 21 and has been actively involved in politics since the early 2000s.
Balaji started his public service as a local body member in 1997. From 2011 to 2015, he was the transport minister in former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s cabinet. In July 2015, however, he was removed from the cabinet. He won the Karur constituency in the 2006 general elections while affiliated with the AIADMK. In the 2016 elections, he was elected as an MLA from the Aravakurichi constituency.
After Jayalalithaa died, Balaji was instrumental in keeping the government together. He sided with TTV Dhinakaran, the nephew of Jayalalithaa’s aide VK Sasikala when the AIADMK split into factions.
On September 18, 2017, Balaji was one of 18 MLAs disqualified by then-speaker P Dhanapal for petitioning then-Governor Banwarilal Purohit to change the chief minister.
He joined the DMK on December 14, 2018, in the presence of Stalin. Soon after joining the party, he was appointed district secretary and later named the candidate for the by-election in the Aravakurichi constituency. He won his fourth term as an MLA on May 23, 2019.
Click Here to Read Previous Reports on Money Laundering Cases
Click Here to Read Previous Reports on Senthil Balaji
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