Senthilbalaji bail plea | How can he continue as Minister, asks Justice Anand Venkatesh of Madras High Court

Madras High Court questions the propriety of a Minister without portfolio continuing in the Cabinet while imprisoned for money laundering.

Justice N. Anand Venkatesh of the Madras High Court on Tuesday questioned the propriety behind V. Senthilbalaji continuing to be a Minister without portfolio despite having been imprisoned for over 230 days in a money laundering case booked by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The judge wondered how a person could be allowed to continue in the Cabinet even after incarceration for so long when even the last grade employee of the State is deemed to have been suspended from service if he/she remains incarcerated for more than 48 hours in a criminal case.

“When such is the severity shown in the case of a government employee, here you have a person who is continuing to be a Minister without portfolio when he is inside the prison. What type of a message are you giving to the public?” the judge asked senior counsel C. Aryama Sundaram representing the Minister.

He raised the question during the hearing of a bail petition filed by the Minister. The judge pointed out that the previous bail petition filed solely on health grounds was dismissed by Justice G. Jayachandran of the High Court in October 2023 after taking into account his continuation in the Cabinet.

However, there was no change in circumstance even now as far as that issue was concerned since the petitioner was still continuing as a Minister without portfolio, Justice Venkatesh said.

Mr. Sundaram replied the petitioner was now seeking bail on the prime ground that the ED had completed the investigation substantially and collected all documents required by it. If the argument of the petitioner continuing in the Cabinet was to be put against him even at this stage, “then it will become difficult for anybody in a high place to get bail,” he said.

Justice Venkatesh clarified he was raising the issue and not the ED. Special Public Prosecutor N. Ramesh had not even opened his mouth so far on the bail plea, the judge said.