Sessions court refuses Senthilbalaji’s bail plea
CHENNAI: A sessions court in Chennai, on Wednesday refused to grant bail to the jailed minister V Senthilbalaji, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The principal judge S Alli, who heard the bail plea of Senthilbalaji has dismissed his petition and refused to grant bail.
On September 15, the senior counsel Kapil Sibal appeared for Senthilbalaji contended that the case is made out of political vendetta and ED also asked the minister why he should not join BJP during interrogation. He further contended that the court should not read the twin conditions of section 45 of PMLA as white and black at this stage of the trial and sought bail.
Another senior counsel N R Elango appeared for Senthilbalaji, said that the entire ED acquisition is upon electronic evidence which cant be relied on in this present case.
He contended that the electronic evidence may be tampered and said that the Investigation Officer held the pendrive with him illegally for 6 days after the seizure.
Additional Solicitor General (ASG) ARL Sundaresan appeared for the ED contended that the twin conditions of Section 45 of PMLA, cannot be misread as the counsels for Senthilbalaji interpreted. The accused is a powerful person and a minister even after his arrest he could tamper the witnesses if he let out with bail, the ASG contended and sought to dismiss the bail.
After the submission the principal judge refused to grant bail to Senthilbalaji.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) registered a case against Senthilbalaji under the provisions of the PML Act over an alleged cash-for-jobs scam during his tenure as Transport Minister in the then AIADMK regime. He was arrested on June 14 at his residence in Chennai and the same day the principal sessions court subjugated Senthilbalaji into Judicial custody.
Subsequently, he underwent major surgery for the complaint of artery vein blockage and later he was shifted to Puzhal prison. Later Senthilbalaji was produced before the sessions court in Chennai on August 12 and the ED submitted a charge sheet of about 200 pages and 3000 pages of documents related to the investigation in a sealed cover.
