Supreme Court grants bail to former TN minister Senthil Balaji in ED case

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday granted bail to former Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji in a money laundering case linked to a cash-for-jobs scam.

A bench of justices AS Oka and Augustine George Masih said that “We have granted bail with some onerous conditions put in’.

However, the court did not expand on the condition it had laid down but stated, examining the possibility of granting bail in money laundering crimes, that stringent conditions on bail cannot go together with delay in prosecution.

Balaji , who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) Balaji in June last year, approached the apex court for bail after the Madras High Court dismissed his plea on February 28.

After hearing submissions by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta representing the ED and senior advocates Mukul Rohatagi and Sidharth Luthra, appearing for Balaji, the Supreme Court reserved its verdict on August 12.

Dismissing Balaji’s plea, the Madras High Court said giving him bail in a case of this nature would send a wrong message and be against large public interest.

However, the court also said it would be appropriate to direct the special court to dispose of the case within timeframe as the petitioner spent over 8 months in custody.

The case against Balaji was linked to alleged irregularities in appointing bus conductors in the Tamil Nadu transport department alongside appointing drivers and junior engineers, when he was serving as the transport minister in the previous AIADMK regime.

Balaji stepped down from the Tamil Nadu Cabinet on February 13 after he was arrested.

In the 3,000-page chargesheet that ED had filed against Balaji, the agency claimed that Balaji conspired with his brother and transport department officials to accept bribes from aspirants for jobs.