Money laundering case: Madras HC denies bail to former Tamil Nadu minister Senthil Balaji

The bail request of former Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji in a money laundering case filed by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) was denied by the Madras High Court on Wednesday. Balaji, who has been detained for eight months, filed a bail petition, but it was denied by Madras High Court Judge N Anand Venkatesh. It has been mandated that the Principal Sessions Court conclude the hearing in three months. Declaring that “there is no change in the circumstances,” the Principal Sessions Judge denied the relief request.

Since his ED arrest on June 14 of last year, Balaji has been detained by the courts. On October 19, 2023, the Madras High Court rejected Balaji’s previous bail request. His bail petition was denied by a local court on September 20 of last year. The Chennai Sessions court once more denied his bail petition on January 12 of this year. On June 14, Balaji was taken into custody in relation to a money laundering case involving an alleged cash-for-jobs scheme while he served as the Transport Minister for Tamil Nadu under the previous AIADMK government. Due to three formal complaints (FIRs) that the local police filed against him in 2018 regarding his alleged involvement in a cash-for-job case while serving as the Transport.

The charges date back to his tenure as transport minister during the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government from 2011 to 2015.
He joined the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in December 2018 and assumed office as the electricity minister after the party came to power in May 2021.