Supreme Court Grants Bail to Former Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthil Balaji
New Delhi, India – On Thursday, the Supreme Court of India granted bail to V Senthil Balaji, a former minister from Tamil Nadu, in a money laundering case related to a cash-for-jobs scam. The decision was made by a bench comprising Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Augustine George Masih, who noted delays in the trial.
DMK MP and Advocate NR Elango commented on the decision, stating, “The SC granted bail to V Senthil Balaji who is incarcerated in the prison as an under-trial prisoner in an ED case for more than 15 months. The long delay which has occurred…could be there in conducting the trials in the predicate offence as well as the PMLA case. The bail has been granted imposing certain conditions that he should appear before the Enforcement Directorate twice a week, he should not tamper with the witnesses and surrender his passport.”
Balaji had previously challenged a Madras High Court order that denied him bail. He was arrested on June 14, 2023, in connection with the money laundering case, which dates back to his tenure as Transport Minister during the AIADMK regime. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had arrested him based on an Enforcement Case Information Register (ECIR) filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in 2021. The ECIR was registered following three FIRs lodged against him by local police in 2018 for his alleged involvement in a cash-for-jobs scam during his time as Transport Minister in Jayalalithaa’s Cabinet in 2015.
Balaji joined the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in December 2018 and became the Electricity Minister after the party came to power in May 2021.
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Supreme Court -: The Supreme Court is the highest court in India. It makes the final decisions on important legal matters.
Bail -: Bail is when someone who has been arrested is allowed to go home until their trial, but they must follow certain rules.
Tamil Nadu -: Tamil Nadu is a state in the southern part of India. It has its own government and ministers.
V Senthil Balaji -: V Senthil Balaji is a politician from Tamil Nadu who was a minister in the state government.
Money Laundering -: Money laundering is when people try to hide where money came from, usually because it was earned in illegal ways.
Cash-for-jobs scam -: A cash-for-jobs scam is when people pay money to get jobs illegally, instead of getting them fairly.
Justice Abhay Oka -: Justice Abhay Oka is a judge in the Supreme Court of India.
Justice Augustine George Masih -: Justice Augustine George Masih is another judge in the Supreme Court of India.
Enforcement Directorate -: The Enforcement Directorate is a government agency in India that investigates financial crimes like money laundering.
Madras High Court -: The Madras High Court is a high court in Tamil Nadu. It handles important legal cases in the state.