In a significant development reported to the Supreme Court on Monday, DMK leader V Senthil Balaji has resigned from his position as a minister in the Tamil Nadu government. The resignation was officially accepted by the Governor, confirmed through a press release from Tamil Nadu Raj Bhavan presented in court by the state government.
Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih, who are presiding over the case, acknowledged the resignation, effectively dismissing an Enforcement Directorate (ED) plea that sought to prevent Balaji from holding his ministerial post until the trial’s conclusion. “A press release is handed over to us which records that he has tendered his resignation which has been accepted by the honorable Governor. Therefore, now there is no occasion to entertain this application,” stated the bench.
The Supreme Court had previously, on April 23, given Balaji an ultimatum to choose “between post and freedom,” threatening to cancel his bail if he did not resign. This decision came after the court expressed concerns over Balaji’s reappointment to the Tamil Nadu cabinet shortly after receiving bail in a case connected to a “cash-for-job” scam.
Balaji, who represents the Karur assembly constituency, had initially been arrested on June 14, 2023, related to his actions during his tenure as the transport minister in the previous AIADMK government from 2011 to 2015. After spending over 15 months in jail, he was granted bail by the Supreme Court on September 26, 2024, with the court noting that the trial’s completion was not imminent.
Despite his legal challenges, Balaji was reinstated as a minister by Governor R N Ravi on September 29, last year, and resumed control over significant portfolios including electricity, non-conventional energy development, prohibition, and excise, which he previously managed in the Stalin-led cabinet.
The case against Balaji escalated when the ED took up money laundering charges in July 2021, following three FIRs lodged by Tamil Nadu police in 2018 based on complaints from individuals affected by the alleged recruitment scam. The ED’s chargesheet accused Balaji of corrupting the recruitment process within the state transport department during his ministerial term.
