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Welcoming the Supreme Court decision to grant bail to V Senthil Balaji, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday while hitting out at the central government, said that in the midst of "political oppression", only the Supreme Court is dawn for it. He further said that Senthil Balaji''s sacrifice is great and his determination is greater than that.
Referring to Balaji''s time-period in jail, Stalin, in a veiled attack on the central government, said that even during the ''Emergency'', the jail life hadn''t exceeded for so long. Stalin accused that they (central government) wanted to break the determination of Senthil Balaji by imprisoning him. In a post on microblogging site X, MK Stalin wrote, "After 471 days, SC have granted bail to brother V Senthilbalaji. In the current environment where the enforcement department has been turned into a department to suppress political opponents, the Supreme Court is the only dawn for it. Even during the Emergency there is no jail life for so many days. Political conspiracies continued for 15 months. By arresting him and keeping him in jail, they wanted to break the determination of brother Senthil Balaji. I welcome Brother Senthil Balaji, who is coming out of prison having already received manure. Your sacrifice is great! Your determination is greater than that!" https://x.com/mkstalin/status/1839184501949206948 The Supreme Court on Thursday granted bail to former Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji in connection with a money laundering case linked to the cash-for-jobs scam. Earlier on February 28, The Madras High Court dismissed the bail petition of Senthil Balaji in a money laundering case registered by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED). DMK MP and Advocate NR Elango said, "The SC granted bail to V Senthil Balaji who is incarcerated in the prison as an under-trial prisoner in an ED case for more than 15 months. The long delay which has occurred...could be there in conducting the trials in the predicate offence as well as the PMLA case. The bail has been granted imposing certain conditions that he should appear before the Enforcement Directorate twice a week, he should not tamper with the witnesses and surrender his passport." Balaji was arrested on June 14 in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged cash-for-jobs scam when he was the Tamil Nadu Transport Minister during the earlier AIADMK regime. The Enforcement Case Information Register (ECIR) was registered on the basis of three FIRs lodged against him by the local police in 2018 for his alleged involvement in a cash-for-job case when he was the Transport Minister in Jayalalithaa''s Cabinet in 2015. The charges dates back to his tenure as transport minister during the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government from 2011 to 2015. He joined the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in December 2018 and assumed office as the electricity minister after the party came to power in May 2021. (ANI)
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