Money laundering: TN minister Senthil Balaji's remand extended till July 1

A sessions court on Tuesday extended the remand of former Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthil Balaji, arrested by the ED in a money laundering case, till July 1.

Principal Sessions Judge S Alli, before whom Senthil Balaji was produced by the prosecution through video-conferencing from the Central Puzhal Prison here, also extended his judicial custody till July 1.

When the case came up for hearing on Tuesday, the ED filed its counter affidavits to the three petitions filed by Senthil Balaji. The judge posted to July 1, further hearing of these petitions.

In one petition, Senthil Balaji sought to defer the present proceedings and adjourn the case to a later date. In two others, he sought to furnish the missing documents in "Relied Upon Document Nos-16 and 17"--copies of counterfoil challans relating to his account, which were collected by the ED in its investigation, to him.

Balaji was arrested on June 14, 2023 by the ED in connection with the money laundering case linked to a cash-for-jobs scam when he was the Transport Minister during an earlier AIADMK regime.