Cash for Jobs Scam: Chennai Court Extends TN Minister Senthil Balaji Judicial Custody till Sep 15

A Chennai Special Court for MP/MLAs on Monday extended the judicial custody of Tamil Nadu’s imprisoned minister, Senthil Balaji, till September 15, 2023.

Previously, on August 25, the court extended Balaji judicial custody until August 28. Furthermore, the court directed the prison authorities to present Senthil Balaji physically on August 28 for further proceedings.

As per the order, Balaji was physically presented before Special Judge K Ravi by the prison authorities.

During the hearing, a comprehensive copy of the chargesheet was served to him. The chargesheet, spanning approximately 3,000 pages, includes various documents and was earlier filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The prosecution complaint, submitted by the central agency on August 12, comprises around 3,000 pages, encompassing over 2,000 pages of annexures and operational documents spanning 168 to 170 pages. The complaint designates Senthil Balaji as an accused in the matter.

The arrest of Balaji took place on June 14 in connection with alleged irregularities in the selection process of bus conductors, drivers, and junior engineers within the Tamil Nadu transport department.

These appointments occurred during Balaji’s tenure as the Transport Minister within the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government between 2011 and 2015. Subsequently, Balaji aligned with the DMK in 2018.