Overview
- India’s Enforcement Directorate has asked the Tamil Nadu chief secretary for permission to prosecute former minister V Senthil Balaji in a money‑laundering case tied to an alleged cash‑for‑jobs racket.
- A Supreme Court ruling in November 2024 now requires government sanction before prosecuting public servants for acts linked to official duty under Section 197 of the criminal procedure law and its BNSS successor.
- The agency says its earlier bid for sanction went through the Governor in 2025, bounced between offices, and was sent back in February 2026 with advice to approach the state directly, prompting this fresh request with an investigation dossier.
- Investigators allege that as Transport Minister from 2011 to 2016, Balaji worked with his brother and aides to take bribes for driver, conductor, and engineer posts in state transport units and then laundered the proceeds after candidates filed complaints.
- The chargesheet was filed in August 2023 and a special court in Chennai took note soon after, but the trial cannot move ahead without sanction, and the state’s call will carry legal weight and political signals for the new administration.