Supreme Court grants bail to ex-Tamil Nadu minister Senthil Balaji
What's the story
The Supreme Court on Thursday granted bail to former Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in June 2023 in a money-laundering case. The decision was made by a bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih, who cited delays in the trial process. "Stringent and higher threshold of bail and delay in prosecution cannot go together. We have granted bail with some onerous conditions put in," the bench said.
Trial scrutiny
Supreme Court questions trial delay against Balaji
During the hearing, the bench also questioned the ED about the anticipated commencement of Balaji's trial. Balaji petitioned the Supreme Court for bail after the Madras High Court denied his bail application on February 28. The charges against the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader are related to alleged irregularities in the appointment of bus conductors, drivers, and junior engineers in the Tamil Nadu transport department.
Case background
Balaji's arrest and charges explained
These accusations date back to his tenure as transport minister for the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government from 2011 to 2015. Balaji's bail application was previously denied by a sessions court in Chennai on three separate occasions. A medical bail plea due to his coronary bypass surgery was also rejected by the high court in October last year, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court.
Legal proceedings
Previous bail rejections and chargesheet details
In its 3,000-page chargesheet, the ED alleged that Balaji conspired with his brother and transport department officials to accept bribes from job aspirants. Numerous complaints were lodged by candidates who paid large sums but did not receive the promised positions. Based on these charges, the ED filed an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) and arrested him in June 2023. Balaji resigned from the Tamil Nadu Cabinet on February 13, eight months after his arrest.