New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday (Dec. 2, 2024) strongly condemned the immediate appointment of Senthil Balaji, who was granted bail in a money laundering case, as a senior cabinet minister in Tamil Nadu.
When Senthil Balaji was the Tamil Nadu Transport Minister, he was accused of defrauding many people by promising them jobs in the transport sector. The Supreme Court granted bail to Senthil Balaji, who was imprisoned in this case, on September 26. Subsequently, Senthil Balaji took oath as a cabinet minister on September 29.
In this situation, Vidya Kumar, one of the victims of Senthil Balaji, had filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking the withdrawal of the bail order granted to Senthil Balaji.
ADVERTISEMENT
HinduTamil27NovHinduTamil27Nov
Judge A.S. The bench headed by Oka said, “What is this? There are serious allegations against him (Senthil Balaji). He has become a minister with immediate effect. This must be stopped. The fear of witnesses being pressured will now be justified. The basic principle is not only to deliver justice, but to do it openly.”
Pointing out that in the judgment given when Senthil Balaji was granted bail, it was stated that liberty cannot be deprived as a form of punishment, Justice Oka told senior advocate Siddhartha Luthra, appearing for the Tamil Nadu government, that the focus will now be only on Senthil Balaji’s reappointment as a minister.
He also said, “No regular notice will be issued in this case. The court will now examine the allegation made in the petition that the witnesses will not be in a mood to oppose the cabinet minister. The case will be taken up for hearing on December 13.”
Leave a Reply