The Supreme Court docket granted bail to former Tamil Nadu Electrical energy Minister V Senthil Balaji who has been in jail since June 2023 over his alleged involvement within the cash-for-jobs rip-off case. He was the Transport Minister within the AIADMK authorities from 2011 to 2016 and faces cash laundering costs associated to this era and joined DMK, the present ruling occasion, in December 2018 beneath the management of MK Stalin.
For the third time now, the bail pleas of Balaji have been dismissed by each the Madras Excessive Court docket and the trial courtroom. Nevertheless, his lawyer, NR Elango, welcomed the Supreme Court docket’s resolution, pointing to potential delays in each the predicate offence and Prevention of Cash Laundering Act (PMLA) trials. Elango emphasised, “Bail has been granted on sure situations – he ought to seem earlier than the arresting officers twice every week, mustn’t tamper with proof or witnesses, and may give up his passport.”
Why was Senthil Balaji arrested?
The ED alleged that between 2014 and 2015 V Senthil Balaji, leveraging his official place, had conspired with the then managing administrators of all State Transport Undertakings and different transport company officers to just accept bribes from the candidates who sought appointments as drivers, conductors, Junior Tradesmen (JTM), Junior Assistants, Junior Engineers (JE) and Assistant Engineers (AE) within the transport company.
Former Minister Elango was taken into custody on June 14 after hours of questioning by the Enforcement Directorate. In the midst of his detention, he complained of chest ache and was subsequently admitted to a Chennai hospital, the place he underwent an angiogram. Docs reportedly suggested coronary bypass surgical procedure “on the earliest.” Photos of Balaji breaking down within the ambulance and later in hospital have been broadly circulated, prompting a number of DMK leaders to say it as a victory and criticise the federal company for what they thought was focusing on opposition leaders.
Tamil Nadu Sports activities Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, son of Chief Minister MK Stalin, voiced sturdy condemnation towards the ED’s actions, stating, “We is not going to be cowed by the Bharatiya Janata Occasion’s intimidation.”
The Supreme Court docket’s bail ruling comes as a reduction for Balaji, who has vehemently denied all costs towards him. Because the authorized proceedings proceed, the main target stays on the potential impression of those developments on Tamil Nadu’s political panorama.
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