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Tamil Nadu: Jailed Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthil Balaji tendered his resignation on Monday after eight months of his arrest. Balaji was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on June 14 last year in a money laundering case. Without portfolio V Senthil Balaji has resigned from the state cabinet.
He was continuing to be a minister without portfolio after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate under the PMLA act in an alleged money-for-job scam. In the last seven months, he made several attempts to get bail but the court refused to grant him relief. Balaji is currently under detention and his bail application at the Madras High Court has been pending.
Recently on February 7, Court extends Senthil Balaji’s remand, a sessions court extended Balaji’s remand till February 15. after a confidential meeting held between the ADGP Dayal, IPS and Senthil Balaji at the prison superintendent office inside the Puzhal prison in Chennai, according to sources, State minister without portfolio V Senthil Balaji resigned from his position and issued the letter through prison department Addl DGP Maheshwar Dayal on Saturday.
The letter was sent to the state government. The development comes two days before the Madras High Court is set to hear his bail plea. Principal Sessions Judge S Alli, before whom Senthil Balaji was produced by the prosecution through video-conferencing from the Central Prison here, extended his judicial custody till February 15.
Originally, the judge had posted the case for framing of charges against Senthil Balaji on January 11.However, when the case came up for hearing that day, senior lawyer S Prabhakaran, appearing for Balaji, informed the court that Balaji had filed a petition to adjourn the trial. After special public prosecutor N Ramesh sought time to file the counter affidavit, the judge adjourned the case to January 29.
After the ED filed its counter affidavit, the case was again adjourned and his remand was extended till February 7. Meanwhile, the judge, after hearing detailed arguments from both sides, reserved orders for February 15 on the plea filed by Balaji to adjourn the hearing of the case.
Balaji was arrested by the ED on June 14 in a money laundering case related to the cash-for-jobs scam when he was transport minister during the previous AIADMK government. Soon after his arrest, he underwent bypass surgery at a private hospital. Later, the ED took him into custody for questioning and after that he was sent to judicial custody.
His remand is being extended by the court from time to time. The Madras High Court had on October 19 rejected the bail plea filed by Balaji. His previous bail pleas were rejected twice by the PSJ. His third bail application was also rejected by the PSJ on January 12. His second bail application before the Madras High Court has been posted for hearing on February 14.
