The Supreme Court on Thursday granted bail to former Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji, who has been in jail since his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in June 2023 in connection with the alleged cash-for-jobs scam.
The top court, in November last year, refused to hear a bail plea citing his health, noting it was not satisfied with his arguments and that his condition could be cured with medicines.
This time around a bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Augustine George Marsh flagged his lengthy imprisonment and the delay in a trial, and said these could not go together.
“What we have said is stringent and higher threshold of bail and delay in prosecution cannot go together…” the court said, but acknowledged it would impose “onerous bail conditions”.
Speaking this morning, after the top court finally granted relief, Mr Balaji’s lawyer and DMK MP NR Elango told reporters, “Bail has been granted on certain conditions – must appear before (arresting officials) twice a week, must not tamper with evidence or witnesses, and must surrender his passport…”
Mr Balaji faces money-laundering charges dating back to 2011-2016 – when he was the Transport Minister in then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa’s AIADMK government.
He joined fierce rivals DMK in December 2018, in the presence of party boss MK Stalin.
Mr Stalin, now the Chief Minister, welcomed Senthil Balaji’s release, declaring “your sacrifice is big and strength even bigger”. “I welcome you (back)…” he said in Tamil on X.
ஆருயிர் சகோதரர் @V_Senthilbalaji அவர்களுக்கு 471 நாட்களுக்குப் பிறகு, உச்ச நீதிமன்றத்தால் பிணை கிடைத்திருக்கிறது.
அமலாக்கத் துறையானது, அரசியல் எதிரிகளை ஒடுக்கும் துறையாக மாற்றப்பட்ட தற்போதைய சூழலில், அதற்கு உச்சநீதிமன்றம் ஒன்றே விடியலாக இருக்கிறது.
எமர்ஜென்சி காலத்தில் கூட…
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) September 26, 2024
The Chief Minister also took a swipe at the Bharatiya Janata Party in power at the centre, stating, “The Supreme Court is the only hope while ED has become a ‘ministry’ to oppress political opponents.”
“Even during ‘Emergency’ imprisonment wasn’t this long. They thought they could shake up Senthil Balaji’s determination,” Mr Stalin wrote.
The order for Mr Balaji’s release was also celebrated by his supporters and DMK party workers, who burst firecrackers and waved party flags, and shouted slogans in his name.
It is unclear if he will now be reinstated to the Tamil Nadu cabinet.
Mr Balaji was retained as a gesture of support but that led to a fierce dispute with Governor RN Ravi. He resigned in February after the High Court said political compulsions outweighed public morality.
READ | Arrested Tamil Nadu Minister Resigns Ahead Of Bail Hearing: Sources
Mr Balaji’s earlier bail pleas were twice dismissed by the Madras High Court, including in February, and thrice by the trial court – has denied all charges. The High Court observed there was no merit in the bail application but directed the trial court to expedite the process.
He was arrested after hours of questioning and amid high drama; he complained of chest pain hours after the Enforcement Directorate took him into custody and underwent an angiogram at a Chennai hospital, after which doctors advised coronary artery bypass surgery “at the earliest”.
READ | High Drama As DMK Minister Taken to Hospital After Arrest, Needs Surgery
Mr Balaji broken down and cried on the way to the hospital. Visuals of him weeping in the ambulance, and later at the hospital, were widely circulated, and several of his DMK colleagues spoke out in support, slamming the federal agency for targeting opposition leaders.
Action against Mr Balaji came shortly after the Karnataka Assembly election that saw the BJP lose control of the only southern state in its control. The Congress, an ally of the DMK, won the election. The DMK said the BJP targeted its leader to offset the panic caused by the loss.
The ED had raided Mr Balaji’s residence, his office at the Tamil Nadu Secretariat, and the premises of his brother and a close aide in Karur district. This was after the Income Tax Department searched multiple properties – across the state – owned by his associates.
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