The Supreme Court on Monday adjourned the hearing on the bail plea of former Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) last year in connection with a money laundering case.
The Bench
A bench consisting of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan deferred the matter after a lawyer representing the agency requested an adjournment, citing the unavailability of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. The lawyer informed the bench that they have submitted their response to the plea.
Senior advocate Aryama Sundaram, representing Balaji, urged the bench to hear the matter, emphasizing that his client had been incarcerated for 320 days. However, the bench stated that it had not yet reviewed the ED’s reply and scheduled the next hearing for May 6, 2024,
Previously, on April 1, the Supreme Court had sought a response from the ED on Balaji’s bail plea while issuing a notice to the agency.
Madras High Court
The Madras High Court had dismissed the bail petition on February 28, stating that granting bail in such a case would convey a wrong message and go against the public interest.
The high court directed the special court to expedite the trial within a specific timeframe, ordering that the proceedings be conducted on a day-to-day basis as per the Supreme Court’s guidelines.
Arrests
Balaji was arrested on June 14 last year in connection with a money laundering case related to a cash-for-jobs scam that occurred during his tenure as transport minister in a previous AIADMK administration.
The central probe agency filed a 3,000-page charge sheet against Balaji on August 12 last year. Despite his earlier bail pleas being dismissed by both the high court and a local court thrice, Balaji continues to seek bail.
