Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], December 21 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State Vice President Narayanan Thirupathy on Saturday stated that Senthil Balaji should have resigned the previous day and slammed his actions in the ongoing case.
“Senthil Balaji should have resigned yesterday… The Supreme Court has clearly said that they had some time to see the trial case filed.. we have to note that the forensic officer has not attended the hearing.. he has been influenced by Balaji…Senthil Balaji was not supposed to take adjournment but he took.. he was supposed to resign yesterday. The next hearing has been scheduled for January 2025. If he does not resign or is dismissed, this government will take heavily from the Supreme Court…” Thirupathy said while speaking to ANI.
Earlier on December 20, the Supreme Court issued a notice to the Tamil Nadu government in response to a plea seeking to recall its verdict granting bail to Minister Senthil Balaji in a money laundering case linked to the cash-for-jobs scam.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih sought details from Tamil Nadu regarding the cases pending against Balaji and the number of witnesses that need to be examined. The State was also asked to inform how many victim-witnesses are public servants and how many are common citizens. The bench scheduled the matter for further hearing on January 15.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed the apex court that Balaji’s reappointment as a Cabinet Minister after his release from jail had created undue pressure on witnesses. The bench then said, “We want to know from the state how many victims are there. If there are a large number of victims, then obviously this man occupying the position of cabinet minister, what will happen to victims?”
On December 2, the bench expressed surprise after learning that Balaji was appointed as Minister in Tamil Nadu immediately after being granted bail in the money laundering case. “We grant bail and the next day you go and become Minister. Anybody will be bound to be under the impression that now with your position as a senior cabinet minister witnesses will be under pressure. What is this going on?” the top court had said.
The top court was hearing a plea seeking to recall the September 26 judgment by which it had granted bail to Balaji on the ground that witnesses would be under pressure since Balaji was appointed minister after his release.
The court was hearing a plea to recall the September 26 judgment granting bail to Balaji. The bench had earlier stated that while it would not recall the judgment, it would limit the inquiry to whether witnesses were under pressure. The apex court had granted bail to Balaji despite finding a prima facie case against him, citing his long incarceration since June 2023 and the unlikelihood of the trial commencing soon. Balaji took the oath of office as Minister on September 29.
Balaji was arrested on June 14, 2023, in connection with a money laundering case related to a cash-for-jobs scam when he was the Transport Minister during an earlier AIADMK regime. The ED had arrested him based on an Enforcement Case Information Register (ECIR) filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in 2021. (ANI)
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