TN: What Does The ED's Chargesheet Against Senthil Balaji Say?

According to a report by PTI regarding the chargesheet filed against minister Senthil Balaji by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), his role in the cash-for-jobs scam during his tenure as Transport minister has been found to be pivotal.

“The whole recruitment in the transport department during the tenure of the then minister V Senthil Balaji has turned into a corrupt chiefdom, in which, as per the illegal directions of the chief (V Senthil Balaji), recruitment process was designed and implemented,” the ED alleged.

“He directly acquired illicit proceeds resulting from criminal activities linked to scheduled offences and collaborated with co-conspirators, including his brother, personal assistants and officials from the transport department, to orchestrate a strategy.”

Regarding the role of the two personal assistants, B Shanmugam and M Karthikeyan, it said that while the two of them had denied connections with each other, the ED had found evidence contradicting their claims.

Further, it said that it had found records of cash collections and tampering of marks. It stated that Balaji's brother Ashok, was involved in channelling the cash collected from aspirants.

An Excel sheet found in a pendrive seized by the agency showed that the post of driver was sold for Rs 1.5 lakh, conductor for Rs 2.25 lakh, junior tradesman for Rs 5 lakh, junior assistant for Rs 7 lakh and assistant engineer for Rs 12 lakh.

It added that huge amounts of cash deposits were found in the bank accounts of Balaji and his wife Megala during and after the period of the cash-for-jobs scam, which showed that there was an effort to launder proceeds of the crime by showing them as untainted money.

Balaji has moved the Madras High Court for bail after the Principal Sessions Court and the MP/MLA Special Court, which extended his judicial custody to 15 September, felt that the matter was not in their jurisdiction.

Also Read: Tamil Nadu: After Back And Forth On Bail Plea Between Special Court And Sessions Court, Senthil Balaji Asked To Approach Madras High Court