Supreme Court Grants Bail To Former TN Minister Senthil Balaji In Money Laundering Case

The Supreme Court granted bail to Senthil Balaji, the former Transport minister of Tamil Nadu Minister, on 26th September (Thursday) who was arrested in the money laundering case appeared due to the Cash for Jobs claim. Even though there is a prima facie case against him, the court decided to grant him bail considering an early trial completion and the long imprisonment.

You can read the article and learn in detail about this matter and Senthil who came out of jail after spending 471 days imprisonment. 

Former Transport Minister of Tamil Nadu Minister: Bail Granted by Supreme Court

Abhay Oka and Augustine George Masih, the two justices granted bail to the former Transport minister of Tamil Nadu minister. Senthil Balaji, caught in a cash-for-jobs money laundering case, is out of jail on bail. The justices reserved the judgment and pointed out the delay in the trial on the 12th of August this year. 

Abhay Oka said that strict bail conditions and the delay in trial would not work together while announcing the decision on 26th September (Thursday). He stated:

"We have referred to Najeeb and other judgements. What we have said is that stringent and higher threshold of bail and delay in prosecution cannot go together. And therefore we have slightly expanded the scope in Najeeb and bail granted but there are very onerous conditions put in the bail."

Even though there is a prima facie case against him, the court decided to grant him bail considering an early trial completion and the long imprisonment.

What was the Senthil Balaji Case?

Senthil Balaji, the present MLA and former Transport minister of Tamil Nadu Minister, was blamed in a money laundering case that appeared due to the Cash for Jobs claim. He was accused of his involvement in a cash-for-jobs money laundering case in the course of his tenure as Transport minister of Tamil Nadu minister from 2011 to 2016.

The ED (Enforcement Directorate) in June 2023, arrested Balaji under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA), on charges linked to this scam. 

Allegation on Senthil Balaji

Senthil Balaji was blamed for setting up a scheme along with his brother and PAs and taking money from the job searches promising employment in Tamil Nadu’s Transport Department.

Some candidates have filed a few complaints and stated that they have paid a huge amount but haven't got any job promised. ED, considering these claims, registered an ECIR (Enforcement Case Information Report) which led to his arrest in June month of 2023.

Madras High Court Remarks

The Madras High Court previously declined Sethil’s bail appeal due to lack of value. The court also observed that the investigation of the ED was dependable on the older documents. There were no suspectable pieces of evidence were found to suspect. Considering the long imprisonment of Senthil, the High Court directed a Special court to fasten the hearing.

Supreme Court Remarks

Supreme Court pointed questions about the workability of advancement with the PMLA trial before the finalization of the trial in the predicate offense, which involved more than 200 accused people. 

The court also created pressure on the ED to prove its claims while focusing on the point of whether the involved file “CSAC” was found in the gathered pen drive or not. 

In this case, the Court highlighted that the Enforcement Department (ED) had to determine whether to pursue a full trial of all three predicate offenses against him or to drop some of the charges as predicate offenses. Finally, the Court noted that there would be no benefit to dividing the trial.

DMK’s Reaction 

RS Bharti, the organizational secretary of DMK, said to Chennai media:

“ED deliberately planned and delayed the Senthil Balaji case. The court has given the right answer to it. The Supreme Court has given bail to all cases filed by the ED against politicians.”

He added:

“The ED, which has prosecuted several cases, has never any. Even chargesheets have been filed in very few cases. The Supreme Court has been condemning investigating agencies in several cases. Agencies should take note of that and handle cases properly.”

Conclusion

On 26th September (Thursday), while the Supreme Court granted bail to Senthil Balaji, it also criticized the Enforcement Department (ED) for dragging the investigation practices. He came out of jail after spending 471 days imprisonment. If you liked the information bookmark the site to stay connected.