NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday gave Tamil Nadu time till September 30, 2023, to complete the investigation in the alleged cash-for-jobs scam case filed against minister V Senthil Balaji. The court said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) will be formed if the state government fails to complete the probe by the deadline.
Calling the state’s request for six months time to complete the probe as “unreasonable”, a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Ahsanuddin Amanullah said it would not entertain any application regarding an extension of time. The case pertains to illegalities in the appointment of employees in state transport corporations during Senthil Balaji’s tenure as transport minister under the AIADMK government between 2011 and 2015. On May 16, the top court, while paving the way for the crime branch to continue its investigation and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to commence a money laundering probe in the case, directed the Investigating Officer to include offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
“We had expressed our displeasure to Mr Gupta (the state’s counsel) that asking for six months time was totally unreasonable. In the original order itself, only two months' time had been granted. Considering the facts and circumstances of the case and the submissions made, we extend the time granted by this court by judgment dated May 16, 2023, till September 30, 2023. No further application for extension of time will be entertained and if it is brought to this court that the directions have not been complied with, the SIT would be constituted,” the bench said in its order.
ED continues questioning Senthil Balaji for second day
The allegations pertain to five categories of posts --- junior engineer/assistant engineer/junior tradesman/ driver and conductor. Senior advocate Jaideep Gupta in a brief hearing before the bench on Tuesday said the final report was filed in respect of junior engineer posts before the competent trial court. Investigation is also complete in respect of assistant engineers and appropriate authorities have been approached for grant of sanction for prosecution.
The final report will be filed before the court pursuant to the receipt of sanction for prosecution from competent authorities. Gupta said, “The recruitment involves five categories of posts. One category is complete. In the second one, it is ready and sanction is awaited. The minister is in jail and it’s not as if he is roaming free. With respect to the other three, there is voluminous material and we have prepared a chart also,” Gupta said.
Expressing difficulties being faced by the IO in examining the witnesses regarding the investigation for the three posts, Gupta said, “A total of 37 lists containing the names of 2,794 persons were taken into account by the Metropolitan Transport Corporation, Chennai, and appointment orders were issued to them for the posts of junior tradesmen, drivers and conductors. These figures have to be verified by conducting an investigation, which is a time-consuming process.”
Pointing out the tardy and lethargic investigation being carried out by the state, senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan and advocate Prashant Bhushan said six months of time was excessive.
It was also stated that the police are scrutinising the documents extracted by the forensic sciences department from hard disks and pen drives seized from the minister and his associates’ houses.
Meanwhile, the ED continued questioning the minister in Chennai for the second day on Tuesday. The agency took him under its custody on Monday evening after the SC allowed his questioning till August 12. Official sources were tight-lipped about whether the minister will be flown to New Delhi for further interrogation or if the ED would seek an extension of his custody.