In a significant development, the Central Crime Branch (CCB) wing of the city police has filed chargesheets in two separate cases against Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthil Balaji. These cases revolve around allegations that the minister promised government jobs in the transport department in exchange for bribes during his tenure as the Transport Minister in the AIADMK government between 2014 and 2015.
The chargesheets, each comprising a whopping 700 pages, were submitted by the Entrustment Document Fraud (EDF) wing of the police last week. The submissions took place before a special court responsible for investigating cases involving Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) at the Chennai district collectorate complex. Following the court’s procedural numbering, the hearings for these cases are expected to commence shortly.
These chargesheets are significant as they include statements from transport employees who obtained their postings in 2014 and 2015. Additionally, they contain substantial evidence and proofs related to the cases. This move represents a crucial step forward in the ongoing investigation into alleged bribery and corruption within the state’s transport department.
The backdrop to this development involves a Supreme Court directive in May, which gave the investigating authorities a two-month deadline to complete their investigations and file the final reports (chargesheets) in these two pending cases. To meet this deadline, the CCB team summoned approximately 120 transport employees who secured jobs during the years 2014 and 2015 for their statements.
However, the CCB police found themselves unable to conclude their investigation within the stipulated timeframe. Consequently, they sought an extension from the Supreme Court, requesting an additional six months to complete their inquiries and file the chargesheets. In response, on August 9, the Supreme Court extended the deadline but only up to September 30, 2023. The Court made it clear that it would not entertain any further requests for extensions. Furthermore, there is a plan to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to further probe the case if needed.