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New Delhi, Nov 14 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Friday sought the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) response on former Tamil Nadu minister V. Senthil Balaji’s plea seeking relaxation in the stringent bail conditions imposed on him in a money laundering case related to the alleged cash-for-jobs scam.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi passed the order after hearing senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Narendra Hooda for Balaji, Zohaib Hussain for the ED and senior advocate Gopal Shankaranarayanan for the complainant.
Sibal submitted that Balaji was seeking amendment of two conditions in the bail order of September 2024 – the requirement to attend the ED’s office in Chennai between 11 am and 12 noon on every Monday and Friday, besides the condition of appearing before the investigating officers on the first Saturday of every month, and the condition of appearing “regularly and timely” before all the courts hearing scheduled offences.
Sibal said that since the investigation has been completed and the charge sheet has been filed, these conditions have not served their purpose.
The senior lawyer said, “My client has appeared before the ED on 116 occasions. There is no possibility of him absconding.”
Opposing the plea, the federal money-laundering agency argued that the bench led by then Justice Abhay S Oka, which had granted bail to Balaji, was fully conscious of the nature of the conditions imposed.
“These conditions have ensured the smooth progress of the trial. There is no reason to dilute them now,” the ED counsel said.
Taking note of the submissions, a bench led by Justice Kant said the top court was not expressing any opinion at the moment, but directed the ED to clarify whether Balaji’s continued presence was necessary.
In April this year, the Supreme Court had warned Balaji – who was re-inducted into the CM MK Stalin-led Cabinet after being released on bail – that he could not continue as a minister while facing charges of influencing witnesses.
,[We] Giving him a choice. Independence or position?” The bench led by Justice Abhay S. Oka noted earlier findings that he had attempted to settle cases with witnesses while in office.
Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi had accepted Balaji’s resignation on the recommendation of Chief Minister Stalin.
Balaji, who was arrested by the ED in June 2023 after extensive searches in Chennai, Karur and Coimbatore, spent 450 days in custody before securing bail.
–IANS
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