The Supreme Court granted bail to Senthil Balaji after serving 471 days in jail. At this stage, let’s look at the path of the Senthilbalaji case in a little more detail.
Senthil Balaji, who won the assembly elections in 2021, took charge as the Minister of Electricity and Prohibition of the Government of Tamil Nadu.
In 2023, Senthilbalaji’s house and offices were raided by enforcement officials.
The Central Crime Branch Police registered 3 cases against Senthil Balaji, who was the Transport Minister in the AIADMK regime between 2011-2016, for fraud by claiming to provide employment.
A case registered by the Central Crime Branch police is pending in a special court that hears cases against MPs and MLAs in Chennai.
Meanwhile, Minister Senthil Balaji was arrested on June 14, 2023 under the Anti-Money Laundering Act.
After Senthilbalaji’s arrest, he suddenly developed chest pain and was admitted to Chennai’s Omandurar Government Hospital for treatment.
Senthilbalaji was transferred to a private hospital in Alwarpet and underwent bypass surgery on the request of Senthilbalaji’s wife.
While Senthilbalaji’s portfolios were distributed to both Thangam Tenarasu and Muthuchami, he continued as a non-portfolio minister.
Then Senthil Balaji resigned from his ministerial post last February.
The enforcement department filed a chargesheet against Senthil Balaji in a case registered under the Unlawful Money Transfer Prevention Act.
Senthil Balaji had said that the allegations against him were a false case brought about by political malice and that he wanted to cross-examine the witnesses.
Senthilbalaji tried to delay the trial so that witness testimony in the case pursued by the Enforcement Directorate could not take place until a decision was reached on the bail plea filed in the Supreme Court.
While the special court case is pending, Senthilbalaji filed petitions seeking his acquittal in the enforcement case.
Petitions filed in the Madras Sessions Court, the Madras High Court and the Supreme Court seeking release from the Enforcement Directorate case and seeking bail were rejected several times.
The Chennai Sessions Court has so far extended Senthil Balaji’s custody 59 times in the case pursued by the Enforcement Directorate.
The Supreme Court has granted conditional bail to Senthilbalaji after serving 471 days in jail.
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