Supreme Court Grants Bail to Former TN Minister Senthil Balaji in Cash-for-Jobs Case

The Supreme Court granted bail on Thursday to former Tamil Nadu minister V. Senthil Balaji, who was arrested last year by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case. A bench comprising Justices Abhay S. Oka and Augustine George Masih imposed stringent conditions for the bail relief.

The Supreme Court had reserved its verdict on August 12 after considering the arguments presented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who represented the ED, as well as senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and Sidharth Luthra, who appeared on behalf of Balaji.

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Senthil Balaji, a former Tamil Nadu Minister and current MLA, faces allegations in a money laundering case related to a cash-for-jobs scam during his tenure as the state's Transport Minister from 2011 to 2016. In June 2023, the ED arrested him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA), in connection with these charges. Balaji has appealed to the Supreme Court challenging the Madras High Court's denial of bail.

Balaji is accused of allegedly accepting bribes in exchange for jobs in the state transport department during his tenure as the state transport minister from 2014 to 2015, when he was part of the AIADMK government. In 2021, he was appointed as a minister in the current DMK government and remained in that position until his resignation in February of this year.