'What Do You Get From V Senthil Balaji's Appearance?': SC On Relaxing Bail Condition; 'Call Him When Necessary'
The court noted the trial hasn't started while V Senthil Balaji's been appearing before the ED officials twice a week for more than one-and-half years.
By Sumit Saxena
Published : December 8, 2025 at 3:59 PM IST
|Updated : December 8, 2025 at 6:57 PM IST
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Enforcement Directorate what it would achieve from the twice-a-week appearance of Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji, that it may seek his appearance on advance notice as and when necessary.
The bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi relaxed the bail conditions in the money laundering case in connection with the purported 'cash-for-jobs' case.
It passed orders on a plea from the DMK strongman while noting that the Central agency could not justify his attendance at its Chennai office.
The bench asked the ED’s counsel, why he is required to attend its office in Chennai twice a week: Monday and Friday.
It asked the ED’s counsel whether there was any default from Balaji. “For one-and-a-half-year, a person attends your office twice a week. Is there a default?(sic)” Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Balaji, replied that his client attended the office on every occasion.
“At least save the harassment of your officer. He has to wait for him every Monday and Friday, tell us why (he should) appear on Monday and Friday,” Bagchi observed. ED’s counsel submitted that the bench may modify the bail condition to an appropriate level.
The bench directed Balaji to appear before the ED “as and when necessary”. The bench said it understands that “unless there is harassment, intimidation, and political influence etc, how do you justify attendance twice a week?”
ED’s counsel contended that the complainants were being compromised and there is a friendly match, is what the court had recorded. The bench asked, do you require his attendance now? Do you want him to appear once a month?
Sibal objected to the contention. He said why should he appear even once a month and he will appear whenever he is called by the agency.
The bench agreed with Sibal to modify the bail condition saying that he will appear before the concerned officer in ED’s office in Chennai, “as and when required”, and for this purpose an advance notice should be given to him.
The complainant's counsel vehemently opposed modification of bail conditions and “there is history of compromising the complainants and the witnesses, and the bail was granted because of Article 21 and not on merits”.
The bench asked, has the trial started? The counsel replied in negative. “What do you get out of his appearance, does the complainant appear everyday?” the bench asked.
The original bail orders from the apex court came with the condition that he should appear every Monday and Friday between 11 am and 12 noon at the office of the deputy director, ED office, Chennai.
The bench also modified the bail condition requiring his attendance before the special PMLA court on every day of the trial.
The bench said that it is clarified that as and when there is a specific hardship, the appellant is unable to appear before the sessions court, he shall apply and the court shall consider as per own merits.
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