The Supreme Court on Thursday granted bail to former Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji in connection with an alleged money laundering case tied to a 2014 cash-for-jobs scandal.
“We have granted bail with some stringent conditions,” stated a bench comprising Justices AS Oka and Augustine George Masih. While the court did not specify the exact conditions, it noted that after reviewing past rulings on bail in money laundering cases, it concluded that stringent bail conditions should not coincide with undue delays in prosecution. Balaji was taken into custody by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in June of the previous year.
In August, the bench had reserved its decision on Balaji’s challenge to a Madras High Court ruling from February that had denied him bail. The court highlighted that delays in prosecuting Balaji were due to a seven-month lag in receiving sanction from the Governor, which was eventually granted on August 23 after the court’s intervention. The prosecution was assured to be led by an experienced prosecutor.
Balaji faces allegations of accepting bribes for securing employment in the state’s transport department during his time as transport minister in 2014-2015, while serving in the AIADMK government. In 2021, he was appointed a minister in the DMK government and remained in office until his resignation in February 2024.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Balaji, argued that the former minister had already spent over a year in custody and that charges against him had been filed. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the ED, countered by claiming that Balaji had attempted to influence witnesses, and his release could undermine the trial.
Balaji also sought bail on medical grounds, citing a coronary bypass surgery and ongoing health concerns. He questioned the authenticity of the evidence presented, suggesting that key material in the charge sheet had not been recovered from his residence—an assertion the ED contested.
The Madras High Court, while denying bail earlier, had noted, “The fact that the petitioner continued to serve as a minister for nearly 8 months, even without a portfolio while in jail, reflects his significant influence and the importance placed on him by the state government.”
(With inputs from agency)
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