The Supreme Court has granted Tamil Nadu an extension until September 30, 2023, to conclude the investigation into the alleged cash-for-jobs scam involving minister V Senthil Balaji. If the state government fails to complete the probe by the given deadline, the court declared that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) would be established. However, the court rejected the state’s request for a six-month extension, deeming it “unreasonable.” Justices Vikram Nath and Ahsanuddin Amanullah stated that no further applications for an extension of time would be entertained.
The case revolves around irregularities in the hiring of employees in state transport corporations during Senthil Balaji’s tenure as transport minister under the AIADMK government from 2011 to 2015. On May 16, the Supreme Court granted permission for the crime branch to continue its investigation and directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to initiate a money laundering probe. The Investigating Officer was instructed to incorporate offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The court expressed dissatisfaction with the initial six-month time frame requested by the state, as the original order had granted only two months. Consequently, the court extended the deadline from May 16, 2023, to September 30, 2023. The bench emphasized that any non-compliance with the court’s directions would result in the formation of an SIT.
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