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Cash-for-jobs scam: Chennai court orders issuing notice to ED on Senthil Balaji’s discharge plea

DV Aanand, III Additional Judge, City Civil and Sessions Court ordered issuing notice to the ED, returnable by 4 March.

Published Feb 20, 2024 | 4:24 PM ⚊UpdatedFeb 20, 2024 | 4:24 PM

ED alleges that Balaji "misused" his office for illegal gratification and "engineered" a job racket scam in the state transport undertakings during 2014-15. (Supplied)

A Chennai court on Wednesday, 20 February ordered issuing notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on arrested former Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji’s discharge plea regarding a money laundering case.

DV Aanand, III Additional Judge, City Civil and Sessions Court ordered issuing notice to the ED, returnable by 4 March.

Last week, Balaji had filed a petition seeking to discharge him from the money laundering case.

His resignation as a Minister from the M K Stalin-led state cabinet was accepted by Governor RN Ravi last week.

Also Read: Balaji has sought to defer trial to ‘stall’ proceedings, ED tells court

Background of the case

Balaji was arrested on 14 June, 2023 by the ED in connection with a money laundering case linked to a cash-for-jobs scam when he was the Transport Minister during an earlier AIADMK regime.

The ED arrested Balaji in connection with a money laundering case rooted in the alleged scam. Balaji crossed over to the ruling DMK in 2018.

Soon after his arrest, he underwent a bypass surgery at a private hospital. Later, the ED took him into custody for interrogation and following that he was remanded in judicial custody. His remand was periodically extended by the court.

The ED had, in August 2023, filed a charge sheet, running to 3,000 pages against Balaji. It stated that the entire recruitment process in the Tamil Nadu Transport Department during the tenure of Senthil Balaji as its minister was turned into a “corrupt chiefdom” and the cash-for-jobs scam was executed under his authority.

Balaji played a “pivotal and central” role, “exploiting” his official capacity as the Transport Minister for personal gains through corrupt and illegal means, the charge sheet claimed.

The Madras High Court had, on 19 October, dismissed the bail petition filed by Balaji. His earlier bail applications were dismissed twice by the Principal Sessions Judge. The court had held that Balaji was likely to influence the witnesses if enlarged on bail.

The Supreme Court, on 28 November, permitted imprisoned Balaji to withdraw his plea for medical bail and approach the trial court for regular bail, observing that the ailment cited by Senthil Balaji is not serious and is, in fact, curable.

On 12 January, 2024, Principal Sessions Judge S Alli dismissed the bail petition of the DMK leader for the third time on the ground that there was no change of circumstances in the case.

(With PTI inputs)