NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday granted bail to former Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji in a cash laundering case.
Balaji was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) final yr.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih set strict situations for Balaji’s launch.
The Supreme Court docket’s choice got here after listening to arguments from Solicitor Normal Tushar Mehta for the ED and senior advocates Mukul Rohatagi and Sidharth Luthra for Balaji.
Beforehand, the excessive courtroom turned down Balaji’s bail request, stating that granting him bail would “ship out a incorrect sign and be in opposition to bigger public curiosity.”
The courtroom famous that as Balaji had been in custody for over eight months, it could be acceptable for the particular courtroom to expedite the case.
The excessive courtroom directed the Principal Particular Court docket in Chennai to finish the trial inside three months, saying,”Accordingly, there shall be a route to the principal particular courtroom, Chennai, to eliminate the case inside a interval of three months from the date of receipt of copy of this order.”
The trial will proceed each day as per the Supreme Court docket’s tips.
Balaji was arrested on June 14 final yr for his alleged involvement in a cash-for-jobs rip-off throughout his tenure as transport minister in an earlier AIADMK authorities.
The ED filed a 3,000-page cost sheet in opposition to him on August 12 final yr.
On October 19, the excessive courtroom dismissed Balaji’s earlier bail plea. His bail petitions have additionally been rejected 3 times by an area courtroom.
