Chennai, July 7:
Former Tamil Nadu minister V Senthilbalaji has approached the Madras High Court seeking anticipatory bail in the alleged ₹35-crore MLA bribery case, claiming that the charges against him are politically motivated and lack any direct evidence.
The case stems from a complaint filed by TVK MLA N. Elaiyaraja, who alleged that he was offered ₹35 crore to vote against the Speaker during a proposed Assembly resolution. He claimed that one Thirunavukkarasu contacted him on behalf of “some people from an important party,” repeated the offer, and later issued threats when it was rejected.
Based on the complaint, Triplicane police registered a case under relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. During the investigation, Senthilbalaji was named as an accused, with the prosecution alleging that the approach to the MLA was made at his instance.
In his plea, Senthilbalaji argued that there is no material evidence linking him to the alleged offence, including call records, messages, financial transactions, or witness statements. He contended that his arrest without such evidence would be unjustified and politically driven.
The anticipatory bail petition is scheduled to be heard by Justice G.K. Ilanthiraiyan on July 8.