Chennai:
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has written to the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary seeking prosecution sanction against V Senthil Balaji in the alleged cash-for-jobs scam linked to his tenure as Transport Minister between 2011 and 2016 under the J Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK government.
According to ED sources, the agency has once again sought sanction from the state government after a Supreme Court ruling in November 2024 held that even the Enforcement Directorate would require prior prosecution sanction to proceed against public servants for acts allegedly committed during the discharge of official duties.
The ED sources said that under Section 197 of the Criminal Procedure Code and Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), prosecution sanction from the government is mandatory before prosecuting a public servant for offences allegedly committed while performing official functions.
The agency maintained that earlier it did not require such sanctions in money laundering cases, as laundering was considered outside the scope of official duty. However, after the Supreme Court’s ruling, courts would not proceed with the trial unless the government grants sanction, the sources added.
The ED said it had earlier sought prosecution sanction from the previous DMK government, but it was not granted. Following the change of regime in Tamil Nadu, the agency has now approached the new TVK-led government again.
The case pertains to allegations that Senthil Balaji, while serving as Transport Minister in the then AIADMK government, conspired with his brother and personal assistants to collect money from job aspirants by promising appointments in various posts in the Transport Department. Several candidates who allegedly paid bribes but failed to secure jobs later filed complaints, leading to criminal cases and a subsequent money laundering probe by the ED.
Senthil Balaji was arrested by the ED on June 14, 2023 and remanded to judicial custody in the case. After securing bail and returning to the cabinet under the MK Stalin government, his reinstatement drew criticism. During a hearing on April 9 this year, the Supreme Court expressed disapproval over his continuation as minister after release from prison and reportedly asked him to choose between his post and personal liberty. He resigned from the cabinet on April 27.
Although the DMK lost power in the recent Assembly elections, Senthil Balaji managed to retain the Coimbatore South seat with a narrow victory.
Political attention is now focused on the stand of Actor Vijay’s ruling TVK government, which swept to power promising clean governance and eradication of corruption. Whether the government grants prosecution sanction to the ED could emerge as an early political and administrative test for the new dispensation.
In the past, Senthil Balaji has maintained that he would face the case legally.