Senthil Balaji case: SC terms TN’s naming of 2,500 accused as ‘fraud on system’
SC criticizes Tamil Nadu’s move to implicate 2,500 people as accused in cash-for-jobs scam, calling it a “fraud on the system” aimed at delaying Balaji’s trial
The Supreme Court has rebuked the Tamil Nadu government for its alleged attempt to prolong the trial of former state minister V Senthil Balaji in the high-profile cash-for-jobs scam.
During a hearing on Tuesday (July 29), the Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi expressed strong displeasure with the state government’s strategy of implicating around 2,500 individuals as accused in the case, describing it as a “complete fraud on the system” aimed at ensuring the trial does not conclude in Balaji’s lifetime.
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Court slams state’s “modus operandi”
The court’s remarks came in response to the addition of nearly 2,500 persons, who allegedly paid bribes to secure jobs, as accused in the case. This move, the court said, was a deliberate attempt to delay the judicial process and thwart the timely conclusion of the trial.
Justice Surya Kant remarked, “The modus operandi is that the trial should not end during the lifetime of the minister. This is a clear fraud on the system.”
The court’s observation underscores the severity of the allegations against the state government, suggesting a collusion between state agencies and the accused to manipulate legal proceedings.
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Balaji’s arrest and bail
V Senthil Balaji, a prominent figure in the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and former minister for electricity, prohibition, and excise, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in June 2023 on charges related to the cash-for-jobs scam. The scam allegedly involved the promise of government jobs in exchange for monetary payments.
Balaji was granted bail by the Supreme Court in September 2024, following a 15-month incarceration. Notably, he was reinstated as a minister in Chief Minister MK Stalin’s Cabinet shortly after his release.
The court’s intervention on Tuesday was part of a broader scrutiny of the case, which has seen multiple legal twists. Earlier, the Supreme Court set aside agreements of compromise between the accused and complainants, ordering the continuation of the trial against Balaji.
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Two-thousand accused in two cases
Calling out the state’s implication of about 2,000–2,500 persons as accused in just two cases, Justice Kant said that the state seemed keener to prosecute “the poor persons who were coerced by [the] minister or his henchmen to pay something [like Rs] 5,000, 10,000, 1 lakh, 2 lakh…so that in the entire lifetime of the minister, trial never comes to an end”.
The court went on, “...by implicating these so-called bribe givers, somebody trying to get his son employed, gave Rs 1 lakh, 2 lakh…you’re making everyone an accused...2000 accused in two cases!”
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the Tamil Nadu government, argued that the inclusion of additional accused was necessary to fully investigate the scam’s extent. However, the Bench remained unconvinced, emphasizing that such actions could not be justified if they undermined the integrity of the legal system.