A Chennai sessions court on Tuesday extended former Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthil Balaji’s remand until June 4 on Tuesday.
The DMK leader was apprehended by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on June 14, 2023, in a money laundering case.
The Judge
Principal Sessions Judge S Alli, presiding over the proceedings where Senthil Balaji was presented by the prosecution via video-conferencing from the Central Puzhal Prison, also prolonged his judicial custody until June 4.
The judge scheduled further hearing of the case for June 4 and directed the central probe agency to submit a counter affidavit in response to the petition filed by Senthil Balaji. This petition requested the deferral of proceedings until a bank produced the original counterfoils/challans used for deposits in his and his wife’s accounts.
In his petition, Balaji emphasized the necessity for the court to authenticate the documents and compel the bank to furnish the original foils. He argued that the production of original foils/challans was imperative in the interest of justice.
Case
Last year, in June, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Balaji in connection with the money laundering case associated with a cash-for-jobs scam during his tenure as the Transport Minister in a previous AIADMK administration. Thus far, his numerous bail pleas have been dismissed by the courts.
