NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday deferred to May 15, the hearing on the plea filed by MLA and former Minister V Senthil Balaji challenging the Madras High Court order rejecting his bail in a cash-for-jobs money laundering case.
During the course of the hearing on Monday, the Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta, senior lawyer appearing for the ED, sought some more time, on the ground that the case would take more time.
To which, the two-judge bench of the top court, led by Justice Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, adjourned the case to May 15.
Mehta said that it was a case of victims being won over, with regard to which there were findings required to be shown. Taking this into recordthe Court said we would hear it on May 15.
On the other hand, senior advocate Aryama Sundaram, appearing for Balaji, sought bail on the ground that his client had been in custody for about 328 days.
Last week, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) alleged that Balaji played a central and pivotal role in the case.
"The accused (Senthil Balaji) played a central and pivotal role in the job racket scam during the period 2014-2015. He should not be granted bail by the top court," the ED lawyer had told the apex court's two-judge bench.
It is to be noted that the Madras HC had ordered that the trial should be conducted on a day-to-day basis in accordance with the guidelines given by the top court.
The Supreme Court had earlier on April first week issued notice to ED and asked the Central probe agency to file a detailed reply on the petition filed by MLA and former Minister, Balaji against a Madras High Court order refusing him bail in a cash-for-jobs money laundering case.
The Madras HC had on February 28, while dismissing Balaji's bail petition, in its order had said that if he is released on bail in a case of this nature, it will send a wrong signal and that it will be against larger public interest.
Balaji had then moved the Supreme Court for bail, but so far he was denied any relief in the case.
The former TN minister, was arrested on June 14 last year by the ED in connection with a money laundering case related to cash-for-jobs scam when he was the Transport minister during an earlier AIADMK regime. The ED alleged that he is involved in corruption.
The ED also had filed a 1000-page chargesheet against Balaji last year in the case.
On the other hand, Balaji vehemently claimed innocence in the case and said that the ED has not identified the proceeds of crime against him and its main evidence relies on information from the predicate offence.
