The Madras High Court ruled on Tuesday that Senthil Balaji, a DMK minister who is currently being held in judicial custody in connection with a money laundering case, would remain in the cabinet at the discretion of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin.
Senthil Balaji’s position as a cabinet minister was contested by petitions submitted by former AIADMK MP J Jayavardhan and others due to his alleged involvement in a money laundering case, the court stated in response.
In its statement, the court claimed that Balaji’s continued membership in the cabinet would ‘serve no purpose’ and was bad for the ‘purity of administration.’
However, it highlighted that, in accordance with constitutional and statutory rules, the Chief Minister has the final say.
Senthil Balaji was detained on June 14 in connection with a money laundering case brought by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a cash-for-jobs scam. He is currently being held in judicial custody.
Balaji is still serving in the Tamil Nadu government as a minister without portfolio despite his detention and ongoing judicial proceedings.
According to the ED’s chargesheet, Balaji ‘played a pivotal and central role, exploiting his official capacity as the then Transport Minister for personal gain through corrupt and illegal means’ during his time working for the Tamil Nadu Transport Department.
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