The Supreme Court, on September 26, granted bail to former Tamil Nadu Minister Senthil Balaji in the money laundering case linked to the cash-for-jobs scandal. A bench comprising Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Augustine George Masih had reserved its decision on August 12, 2024, raising concerns about the trial’s delay.Â
While delivering the verdict, Justice Oka emphasized that stringent bail conditions and prolonged trial delays are incompatible.
“We have referred to Najeeb and other judgments. What we have said is that stringent and higher thresholds of bail and delay in prosecution cannot go together. And therefore we have slightly expanded the scope in Najeeb and bail granted but there are very onerous conditions put in the bail,” Justice Oka said.
A detailed copy of the judgment is still pending. Senthil Balaji, a former Tamil Nadu Minister and current MLA, faces accusations in a money laundering case tied to a cash-for-jobs scam during his tenure as Transport Minister from 2011 to 2016. In June 2023, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA), in connection with the scam. Balaji subsequently appealed the Madras High Court’s denial of bail to the Supreme Court.
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Allegations and Arrest
Balaji is accused of orchestrating a scheme with the help of his personal assistants and brother to solicit money from job seekers in exchange for promises of employment in the Tamil Nadu Transport Department. Several complaints were lodged by candidates who paid large sums but never received the promised jobs. Based on these allegations, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) and arrested him in June 2023.
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