Supreme Court grants bail to former TN minister Senthil Balaji in money laundering case

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday granted bail to former Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji in a money laundering case. Balaji was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) last year.A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih set strict conditions for Balaji's release. The Supreme Court's decision came after hearing arguments from Solicitor General Tushar Mehta for the ED and senior advocates Mukul Rohatagi and Sidharth Luthra for Balaji.Previously, the high court turned down Balaji's bail request, stating that granting him bail would "send out a wrong signal and be against larger public interest."The court noted that as Balaji had been in custody for over eight months, it would be appropriate for the special court to expedite the case.The high court directed the Principal Special Court in Chennai to complete the trial within three months, saying,"Accordingly, there shall be a direction to the principal special court, Chennai, to dispose of the case within a period of three months from the date of receipt of copy of this order." The trial will proceed on a daily basis as per the Supreme Court's guidelines.Balaji was arrested on June 14 last year for his alleged involvement in a cash-for-jobs scam during his tenure as transport minister in an earlier AIADMK government. The ED filed a 3,000-page charge sheet against him on August 12 last year.On October 19, the high court dismissed Balaji's earlier bail plea. His bail petitions have also been rejected three times by a local court.