In a huge setback for Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji, the Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday, May 16, set aside a Madras High Court (HC) order directing a fresh probe into the multi-crore Transport job scam and ordered that ongoing investigations may be continued. The bench, consisting of Justice Krishna Murari and V Ramasubramanian, directed the investigating officer (IO) to proceed with the investigation.
Pronouncing the order in a batch of petitions filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Minister Balaji, and by the Anti-Corruption Movement led by another person named Balaji, the SC said, “Appeals arising out of the order for de novo (fresh probe) investigation are allowed. Observations and directions in that order are set aside. IO can proceed further in all other cases by including offenses under Prevention of Corruption Act.” The SC also said that a request for a Special Investigation Team (SIT) can be considered at a later stage.
The apex court also set aside the Madras HC order quashing the summons issued to Balaji by the ED in connection with the money laundering case that was initiated based on the multiple First Information Reports (FIR) registered against him by the Chennai Central Crime Branch. The latest SC order paves way for an ED investigation against Balaji.
The court has also asked for the Central Crime Branch (CCB) investigation against the Minister and other accused in the job scam case to be completed within two months and the report to be submitted.
The alleged Transport job scam took place when Balaji was the Transport Minister in the AIADMK government during the years 2011-2015. It pertains to allegations of accepting bribes from job aspirants. Several crore rupees in bribes were allegedly collected from candidates aspiring for jobs as drivers, conductors, and mechanics. The candidates were later defrauded.
In 2015, a complaint was filed against Balaji and others for taking bribes from job aspirants on the false promise of appointment to various posts in the State Transport Corporation run by the Tamil Nadu government. The whistle blowers were the job seekers themselves who lodged multiple complaints of cheating against the then Transport Minister and others, resulting in registration of an FIR against him with the Chennai Police CCB.
Dissatisfied with the Chennai CCB’s probe that pinned the blame only on low level officials of the Transport department, the victims approached the Madras HC seeking a detailed probe. On the directions of the Madras HC, the CCB conducted a thorough probe and charged 47 persons, including the then Transport Minister Balaji, his brother V Ashok Kumar, brother-in-law Karthik, former managing directors of transport corporations, joint managing director, and others.
The job racket case has seen several twists and turns during the investigations. In July 2022, TNM also reported how a key accused in the Tamil Nadu transport job racket case died due to poisoning under mysterious circumstances and how no investigation was conducted to find out the reasons for his death.