Supreme Court Seeks ED's Response on Bail Plea of Former TN Minister Senthil Balaji in Money Laundering Case

The Supreme Court sought a response from the Enforcement Directorate regarding the bail plea of former Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji. Balaji was arrested last year in connection with a money laundering case.

A bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan issued a notice to the agency and instructed it to file a response by April 29. This action follows the Madras High Court's decision on February 28, which dismissed the bail petition. The High Court stated that granting bail in a case of this nature would convey an erroneous message and run counter to the broader public interest.

It had said the petitioner has suffered incarceration for more than eight months and therefore, it will be more appropriate to direct the special court to dispose of the case within a time frame. Accordingly, there shall be a direction to the Principal Special Court, Chennai, to dispose of the case within a period of three months from the date of receipt of copy of this order, it had ordered.

The high court directed that the trial be conducted on a day-to-day basis, adhering to the guidelines provided by the Supreme Court. Balaji was arrested on June 14 last year by the ED in connection with a money laundering case associated with a cash-for-jobs scam that occurred while he served as the Transport minister in a previous AIADMK regime. The ED had on August 12 last year filed a 3,000-page charge sheet against Balaji.