No judgment barring Senthilbalaji's Cabinet induction, says TKS Elangovan

CHENNAI: Responding to issues arising out of cash-for-jobs accused Senthilbalaji's induction into the Cabinet after he was released on bail, DMK spokesperson TKS Elangovan said there was no judgment against him, seeming to refer that there is no legal bar in making him a minister.

The DMK leader said that it was a non-issue as there is no judgement against Senthilbalaji, defending the State government's decision to re-induct him as the Electricity Minister.

Elangovan pointed out that Balaji remains an MLA, seeming to underscore that there is no legal hurdle, as of now, in him continuing as a minister in the State government.

The DMK spokesperson responded to queries after the DMK government was under fire from the Supreme Court and opposition BJP over the issue. BJP State unit Vice President Narayanan Thirupathy had stated that Balaji should have resigned, referring to adverse remarks of the top court on inducting him a minister even while the pendency of the bribery case. "Senthilbalaji should have resigned once the Supreme Court came down heavily on the minister and the State government," he had alleged.

Concerns that witnesses won't come forward when Balaji remains a minister are serious, the BJP leader said. "We have to note that the forensic officer has not attended the hearing. He has been influenced by Balaji. He was not supposed to seek an adjournment in the hearings," the BJP leader said and accused him of trying to delay the trial.

On December 20, the Supreme Court issued a notice to the Tamil Nadu government in response to a plea seeking to recall its verdict granting bail to Balaji in a money laundering case linked to the cash-for-jobs case. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih sought details from Tamil Nadu regarding the cases pending against Balaji and the number of witnesses that need to be examined.

The State was also asked to inform how many witnesses are public servants and how many are common citizens.

The bench scheduled the matter for further hearing on January 15. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed the apex court that Balaji's reappointment as a Cabinet minister after his release from jail had created undue pressure on witnesses.