Money Laundering Case: SC to Hear Bail Plea of Senthil Balaji Tomorrow

The Supreme Court is set to hear the bail plea of former Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji on Monday (August 12).

Balaji was arrested last year by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case.

The hearing will take place before a bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih, as Balaji challenges the February 28 order of the Madras High Court, which dismissed his second bail petition in the case.

In its decision to reject the bail plea, the high court emphasized that granting bail in a case of this nature could send the wrong message and go against the larger public interest. The court noted that Balaji had been incarcerated for over eight months and suggested that a more appropriate course of action would be to direct the special court to expedite the case.

“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,” the high court ordered. The court also instructed that the trial be conducted on a day-to-day basis, in line with guidelines issued by the Supreme Court.

On June 14, 2023, Balaji was arrested by the ED in connection with a money laundering case linked to a cash-for-jobs scam during his tenure as transport minister in a previous AIADMK regime. The ED filed a 3,000-page charge sheet against Balaji on August 12 last year. His earlier bail plea was dismissed by the high court on October 19, and a local court has similarly rejected his bail petitions on three separate occasions.

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