On Monday, a sessions court in Chennai extended the judicial custody of former Minister V Senthilbalaji until June 14, following his arrest last year by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case. The court also reserved its orders on Senthilbalaji’s petitions seeking directives for a bank to provide documents and original challans related to the case.
Appearing before the principal judge of the Chennai sessions court, S Alli, Senthilbalaji’s counsel argued that some of the challans submitted by the banks were mere photocopies. They requested the court to instruct the banks to provide original copies of the challans. Additionally, they sought the disclosure of the identities of the bank officials who managed Senthilbalaji’s accounts during the period under scrutiny, which spans from 2012 to 2022.
The Enforcement Directorate opposed these submissions, citing Section 91 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which they argued does not obligate the prosecution to provide the documents requested by the defense. They urged the court to dismiss Senthilbalaji’s petition.
Given that Senthilbalaji’s judicial custody concluded on June 10, he was presented before the principal judge via video conference from Puzhal Central Prison. After recording his appearance, the judge extended his custody until June 14, the same day the court is expected to deliver its order on the petitions.
V Senthilbalaji was arrested by the Directorate of Enforcement on June 14, 2023, at his residence in Chennai. The arrest was made under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with an alleged cash-for-jobs scam during his tenure as Transport Minister in the AIADMK government. Following his arrest, the principal sessions judge ordered Senthilbalaji to be held in judicial custody.
In a related development, the High Court dismissed Senthilbalaji’s bail petition and directed the principal sessions court to expedite the trial, mandating