Why hesitate to face trial in graft case: HC to ex-minister

The Madras High Court Tuesday orally observed prime facie material was available against former Tamil Nadu Minister Senthil Balaji, facing a corruption case, and asked why he was hesitating to face the trial.

Justice Anand Venkatesh made the observation during the hearing of a petition by Balaji seeking to quash the FIR registered against him over an alleged job racket in the state road transport corporation.

The judge noted that when prima facie material was there and a case had been registered, why the petitioner was hesitating to face the trial.

After senior counsel for the petitioner A R L Sundaresan sought time to argue the case, the Judge adjourned the matter to June 18 for final hearing.

The FIR had been registered on a complaint by Ganesh Kumar, an employee of the State Transport Corporation, who alleged he had given Rs 95 lakh to a relative of Balaji, then the transport minister, for getting jobs in the corporation, but the latter had cheated him.