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Informist, Thursday, Sep 26, 2024

 

--SC grants bail to DMK's Senthil Balaji in money laundering case

 

NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court has granted bail to Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader Senthil Balaji in a money laundering case arising out of allegations of cash for jobs. The Bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Augustine George Masih said "stringent and higher threshold of bail and delay in prosecution cannot go together". 

 

"We have referred to Najeeb (Union of India vs K.A. Najeeb in 2021) and other judgements. What we have said is that stringent and higher threshold of bail and delay in prosecution cannot go together. And therefore, we have slightly expanded the scope in Najeeb and bail granted, but there are very onerous conditions put in the bail," Justice Oka said.

 

In a 2021 verdict in the Union of India vs K.A. Najeeb vase, the apex court had granted bail to a co-accused under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, moving past its reluctance in granting bail under stringent anti-terror laws. 

 

In June 2023, the Enforcement Directorate had arrested Balaji on allegations of his involvement in a cash for jobs scam during his tenure as Tamil Nadu's transport minister between 2011 and 2016. Balaji was then a leader of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. 

 

There are allegations against Balaji of orchestrating a scheme with his personal assistants and brothers to collect money in return for jobs in the state's transport department. Various complaints were filed by candidates who had given the amounts but had not secured the jobs promised. Based on these, the probe agency had registered an Enforcement Case Information Report and arrested Balaji.

 

Appearing for Balaji, advocate Mukul Rohatgi had argued that the amounts that the Enforcement Directorate said were related to the alleged scam were derived from Balaji's agriculture income and salary as member of the legislative assembly. Refuting this, the Enforcement Directorate had said the MLA's salary was directly deposited to his bank account and Balaji's declared income in his election affidavit significantly differed from the amounts he now claimed as agricultural income.  End

 

Reported by Surya Tripathi

Edited by Avishek Dutta

 

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