Daijiworld Media Network- New Delhi
New Delhi, Jul 30: In a scathing observation, the Supreme Court on Tuesday accused the Tamil Nadu government of intentionally stalling the trial proceedings against former state minister V Senthil Balaji in the cash-for-jobs scam, terming the move a "complete fraud on the judicial system".
A bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and JoymalyaBagchi said the state’s actions appear aimed at ensuring the trial does not conclude during Balaji’s lifetime. The court was reacting to the fact that over 2,300 individuals, many of them allegedly victims, have been named as accused in the multi-crore scam.
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The justices expressed strong concern over the mass implication of poor job-seekers coerced into paying bribes. “You are more keen to prosecute them so that in the entire lifetime of the minister, the trial proceedings never come to an end,” said Justice Kant. “This is your modus operandi.”
The court also questioned the state’s legal strategy and asked for detailed information on all individuals involved in the scam — from middlemen and brokers to officials in selection committees and authorities who approved the appointments. The bench demanded that all pending matters related to Balaji be listed for a comprehensive hearing on Wednesday.
The Tamil Nadu government, represented by senior advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Amit Anand Tiwari, accused the petitioner, Y Balaji, of forum shopping. However, the petitioner’s counsel, senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, countered the state’s claim, accusing it of colluding with the former minister and actively trying to derail the trial.
Balaji was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in June 2023 and granted bail by the Supreme Court on September 26, 2024, after 471 days in custody. Despite being pulled up by the apex court, he was reinducted into the Tamil Nadu Cabinet in the same portfolios — electricity, prohibition and excise — days after securing bail. However, following fresh reprimands, he resigned from the council of ministers in April this year.
The ED filed a money-laundering case against Balaji in July 2021, based on FIRs lodged in 2018. The probe pertains to alleged widespread corruption in the state transport department during Balaji’s tenure as transport minister in the AIADMK-led government between 2011 and 2015.
As the legal and political wrangling continues, the Supreme Court has made it clear that it intends to prevent any subversion of justice and ensure that those responsible — regardless of their stature — are held accountable.