Chennai Court directs ED to serve seized digital evidence to Senthilbalaji

CHENNAI: A sessions court in the city directed the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) to serve the digital evidence to State Minister V Senthilbalaji, which was seized in the money laundering case.

The principal sessions court heard the application moved by Senthibalaji seeking to direct ED to serve a cloned copy of the digital evidence to advance his case.

Objecting to the application ED submitted, since all the digital evidence connected to the PMLA case was submitted before the special court hearing cases related to MPs/MLAs, it cannot provide the evidence sought by the applicant.

After hearing the case, the court directed the ED to serve the cloned digital evidence to Senthilbalaji and posted the matter to January 20 for further hearing.

The principal sessions court hearing the PMLA case booked against Senthilbalaji, connected to the 2015 job racket case alleging that the minister received money from several individuals but they were not provided with any appointment in the transport department as promised.

After registering a money laundering case, the ED arrested Senthilbalaji on June 14, last year, and lodged him in prison.

Since the case has now reached the stage of examining the witnesses, Senthilbalaji filed the application seeking a cloned copy of digital evidence to cross-examine a vital witness of the case, Manivannan, the assistant director of the Forensic Science department, who handled the evidence secured by the CCB police, while investigation.