Former minister Senthil Balaji's custody extended till June 19

Chennai: A sessions court on Monday extended till June 19 the remand of former Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on June 14, 2023 in a money laundering case.

Principal Sessions Judge (PSJ) S Alli, before whom Balaji was produced by the prosecution through video-conferencing from the Central Puzhal Prison here, extended his judicial custody till June 19.

The judge said she would pass orders on June 19 on a petition filed by Balaji seeking to discharge him from the case.

Meanwhile, the judge dismissed three other petitions filed by Balaji.

In one petition, he sought to defer the proceedings in the case till City Union Bank produces the original counter foils/challans used for making deposits in his account and in the account of his wife.

In another petition, he sought a direction to City Union Bank, Karur to furnish the list of bank employees, more specifically the clerk, cashier and manager employed at City Union Bank, Karur for the period 2012 to 2022.

This plea came as the ED had heavily relied on the counter foil challans issued by the bank, referred to as "Relied Upon Documents Nos 16 and 17", which has been allegedly utilised for depositing the cash by the Petitioner and his wife.

In yet another petition, he sought a direction to the City Union Bank, Karur to furnish the copy of the PAN cards of the Depositors in “RUD Nos 16 & 17” ie the counter foil challans for the period from the year 2016 to 2022.

Balaji was arrested on June 14 by the ED in connection with a money laundering case linked to the cash-for-jobs scam when he was the transport minister during the previous AIADMK regime.

Soon after his arrest, he underwent a bypass surgery at a private hospital. Later, the ED took him into custody for interrogation, following which he was remanded in judicial custody. His remand has been periodically extended by the court.

Meanwhile, the ED had on August 12 filed a charge sheet, running to 3,000 pages against Balaji.

The Madras High Court had on October 19 dismissed the bail petition filed by Balaji. His earlier bail applications were dismissed twice by the PSJ.

His third bail application was also dismissed by the PSJ on January 12. His second bail application was dismissed by the high court on February 28. His earlier petition to defer the trial was dismissed by the PSJ on February 15.