Money Laundering Case: SC Adjourns Hearing on Senthil Balaji’s Bail Plea to July 22

The Supreme Court has adjourned the hearing on a bail plea filed by former Tamil Nadu Minister V. Senthil Balaji, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case.

A bench of Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Augustine George Masih has adjourned the matter till July 22, due to lack of time.

On April 1, the apex court issued notice to the Enforcement Directorate on Balaji’s bail plea.

The former DMK minister approached the Supreme Court after the Madras High Court rejected his bail plea on February 28 this year.

The high court stated that granting bail would send the wrong signal in a case of this nature and would be against the larger public interest. The court noted that the petitioner had been incarcerated for more than eight months and suggested it would be more appropriate to direct the special court to resolve the case within a specified timeframe. The high court had ordered that the trial be conducted on a day-to-day basis in accordance with the Supreme Court’s guidelines.

On June 14, 2023, Senthil Balaji was arrested in connection with a money laundering case linked to a cash-for-jobs scam that occurred when he was the transport minister during the AIADMK government.

On August 12 last year, the central probe agency filed a 3,000-page charge sheet against him. On October 19, the high court dismissed Balaji’s earlier bail plea, and a local court had also rejected his bail petitions three times.

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