Senthil Balaji resigns as TN Minister after Supreme Court ultimatum

After the Supreme Court issued him an ultimatum last week, Senthil Balaji has resigned as Tamil Nadu Minister for Electricity, Prohibition and Excise..A notification issued by the State government on April 27 stating that the Governor has accepted Balaji's resignation was placed before a bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih today..Balaji is being investigated in a money laundering case linked to the cash-for-jobs scam during his tenure as Transport Minister.The apex court had granted him bail in September 2024 on the understanding that Balaji was no longer a minister. However, he resumed his ministerial duties shortly after, raising concerns about potential influence over witnesses. On April 23, the Court had orally remarked,“We had granted bail on totally different grounds. If people are going to play with the process of law like this… we will record in our order that we made a mistake in ignoring the judgment findings against you...We will give you a choice: post or freedom.".The remarks came during proceedings on a plea seeking recall of the bail order of September 26, 2024. The plea was filed by K Vidhya Kumar, who argued that Balaji’s reinstatement as a Cabinet Minister in the Tamil Nadu government, after securing bail in the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case, could impair the fairness of the trial.The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which had initially arrested Balaji on June 14, 2023, supported the plea and argued that Balaji had continued to wield political power even during his incarceration. The agency also highlighted that several witnesses in the case are public servants who previously reported to him..After being informed of the latest development, the Court disposed of the recall application.Senior Advocates Kapil Sibal and Mukul Rohatgi had appeared for Balaji..[Read Order]