The Supreme Court on Wednesday deferred the hearing on the bail plea of former Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate last year in a money laundering case.
Bench States…
A bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih adjourned the matter to July 12 following a request for time from Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.
“List it day after tomorrow at the end of the list,” the bench directed.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Balaji, highlighted several adjournments by the ED in the case.
Earlier, on April 1, the Supreme Court had sought a response from the ED on Balaji’s bail plea while issuing notice to the agency.
Case History
The Madras High Court had earlier denied bail to Balaji on February 28, stating that his release would send a wrong signal in such a serious case, contrary to public interest. The court directed the special court to expedite the trial in a time-bound manner.
Balaji was arrested on June 14 last year in connection with a money laundering case linked to a cash-for-jobs scam during his tenure as transport minister in the AIADMK government. The ED filed a 3,000-page charge sheet against him on August 12 last year, following which his bail petitions were dismissed by both the high court and a local court on separate occasions.
