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SC grants anticipatory bail to ex-Tamil Nadu minister Balaji in corruption case
The Supreme Court said that Balaji was no longer a serving minister and it was unlikely he exercises any clout to influence the investigation
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The Supreme Court on Friday granted anticipatory bail to Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) lawmaker and former minister V Senthil Balaji in a corruption case concerning alleged irregularities in the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC).
A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi passed the interim order after Balaji appealed against a Madras high court order refusing to protect him from arrest.
The high court observed that the allegations involved a loss of around rupees 17 crore to the state exchequer and his custodial interrogation was required.
The Supreme Court said that Balaji was no longer a serving minister and it was unlikely he exercises any clout to influence the investigation. “If he is guilty, he will have to face consequences. This man is not going to jump the investigation and go out. We will ensure he participates in the investigation and he will not interfere with the investigation. If there is any perception of breach, come to us,” the Supreme Court said. The court directed him to cooperate with the probe and to surrender his passport.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who appeared for Balaji, assured the court that Balaji will cooperate and that he had deposited his passport with the investigating officer.
Senior advocate Guru Krishna K, who appeared for the Tamil Nadu government, opposed Balaji’s plea. He argued that he was a minister from 2021 to 2025, and ensured no cases over the alleged regularities could be registered during his tenure. “He [Balaji] cannot seek blanket protection. In a serious corruption case of this nature, why anticipatory bail?” Krishna asked.
The Supreme Court said that it would cancel the relief if Balaji attempted to interfere with the probe or influence witnesses. Balaji moved the Supreme Court hours after his anticipatory bail application was rejected on Thursday.
Tamil Nadu’s Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) this week widened its probe into alleged corruption in TASMAC. DVAC searched 41 locations across the state and registered a fresh case against Balaji and six others. It alleged that district and regional TASMAC officials manipulated tenders for bars and transport contracts, favoured selected bidders, enabled cartelisation and allowed bars to continue operating despite expired licences, causing substantial losses to the government.
