No bail for Senthilbalaji, Madras High Court dismisses his plea
The Hindu
Madras High Court denies bail to former TN Minister V. Senthilbalaji in money laundering case.
The Madras High Court on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, refused to grant bail to former T.N. Minister V. Senthilbalaji in a money laundering case, in which he was arrested by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on June 14, 2023, and remains in judicial custody since then.
Justice N. Anand Venkatesh dismissed the bail petition and directed the trial court to complete the trial within three months by conducting the proceedings on a day-to-day basis, as far as practicable, since the petitioner has been in jail for more than 250 days.
The judge had reserved orders on the bail plea on February 22, 2024 after hearing Senior Counsel C. Aryama Sundaram for the petitioner and Additonal Solicitor General AR.L. Sundaresan, assisted by Special Public Prosecutor N. Ramesh, for the ED.
The Chennai Central Crime Branch (CCB) police had registered multiple First Information Reports (FIRs) to investigate the scam. Subsequently, the ED had registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 on the basis of those FIRs.
The ECIR was registered after the petitioner had switched political loyalties, and joined the DMK. He was serving as Minister for Electricity and Prohibition when the ED raided his residence on June 13, 2023 and arrested him in the intervening night between June 13 and June 14, 2023.
The dramatic midnight arrest led to the petitioner being admitted to a government hospital since he complained of chest pain. Subsequently, his wife filed a habeas corpus petition in the High Court and got him transferred to a private hospital where he underwent heart surgery.
It was only after a month, he was moved from the private hospital to the central prison at Puzhal in Chennai. Even during his incarceration, he continued to be a Minister without portfolio and that became the reason for dismissal of his first bail petition filed on medical grounds.
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