New Delhi, April 28 (HS) : The Supreme Court has denied the request to cancel the bail granted to former Tamil Nadu Minister Senthil Balaji after his resignation from the ministerial post, related to a money laundering case connected to the Cash for Job scam. The order was issued by a bench led by Justice A.S. Oka. A witness in the case, Vidya Kumar, had filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking the cancellation of Balaji’s bail.
Earlier, on April 23, the Supreme Court had told Balaji to either resign from his ministerial position or face the cancellation of his bail. Following this admonition from the Supreme Court, Balaji resigned from his ministerial role. The court considered that Balaji had pressured the complainant to withdraw the complaint in his capacity as a minister. The court stated that the bail had been granted based on the delay in trial and long periods of detention, not based on the merits of the case. During the earlier hearings, Balaji had claimed that becoming a minister again did not violate any conditions of his bail. The Supreme Court had granted him bail on September 26, 2024. He raised questions regarding the petition seeking the cancellation of his bail, stating that the petitioner had filed the petition at the behest of political opponents. Balaji noted that there was no mention in the petition regarding any violations of the bail conditions.
The petition claimed that immediately after being granted bail, Balaji was appointed as a minister, which would influence and pressure witnesses, potentially leading them to retract their testimonies. However, the Supreme Court stated that it would not retract its bail order as that could benefit other individuals as well. The Supreme Court indicated that it would not issue a notice on this petition, but would only consider the argument that raised concerns about whether the granting of bail was influencing the witnesses.
Balaji was arrested on June 14, 2023. A chargesheet was filed against him on August 12, 2023. The case against him pertains to alleged irregularities in the recruitment of bus conductors, drivers, and junior engineers in the Tamil Nadu State Transport Department. These appointments were made during Balaji’s tenure as the transportation minister from 2011 to 2015.
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
