Former Minister and DMK MLA V Senthilbalaji, embroiled in a money-laundering case stemming from a cash-for-jobs scam in the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC), filed a petition seeking discharge from the charges leveled against him by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED).On Friday, Februaryz Senthilbalaji’s counsel, N. Bharanikumar, submitted the discharge petition at the Principal Sessions Court in Chennai. The filing coincided with the scheduled framing of charges against him, prompting the judge, S. Alli, to defer the process.
Senthilbalaji’s arrest by the ED on June 14 the previous year was a result of allegations arising from the cash-for-jobs scam during his tenure as the Transport Minister in the Jayalalithaa government (2011-15). The accusations revolved around purportedly collecting money from job aspirants within the MTC.
In his discharge petition, Senthilbalaji contended that the appointing authorities for the transport corporation, such as the Managing Director or General Manager, held sole responsibility for personnel appointments. As the Transport Minister, he asserted that he had no direct involvement in the recruitment process, thereby refuting the basis of the alleged crime attributed to him.
Furthermore, Senthilbalaji argued that the entire case against him was fabricated out of malice to seek retribution, rather than grounded on substantive evidence.