Madras HC adjourns Senthilbalaji's plea challenging sessions court order in PMLA case

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Wednesday adjourned the hearing on former Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthilbalaji's petition challenging the rejection of his discharge petition in the money laundering case.

A division bench of Justice SM Subramaniam and Justice V Sivagnanam heard the criminal revision petition moved by Senthilbalaji challenging the dismissal of his discharge petition.

Senior counsel A Prabhakaran, representing Senthilbalaji, submitted that since the bail petition moved by his client is pending before the Supreme Court, this criminal revision can be postponed.

However, the bench rejected the submission as there is no connection between the two cases.

Further, the senior counsel said that if his client was acquitted or discharged in the predicate offence case, then the money laundering case registered by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) would become infructuous.

The Additional Solicitor General (ASG) ARL Sundaresan submitted that since the trial has commenced and charges have been framed, at this stage the discharge petition cannot be entertained.

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After both sides submitted, the bench posted the matter on September 4 to hear the petitioner's counsel's arguments.

Former minister Senthilbalaji moved a petition before the principal sessions court in Chennai seeking to discharge him from the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case. However, the sessions court dismissed the discharge petition.

Challenging this order, Senthilbalaji had moved the criminal revision petition in the High Court.

Senthilbalaji was arrested under PMLA by the ED on June 14, 2023, at his residence in Chennai. The PMLA case was registered against an alleged cash-for-jobs scam during his tenure as Transport Minister in the then AIADMK regime.