The Supreme Court has strongly criticized the Tamil Nadu government for including more than 2,000 individuals as accused in a massive cash-for-jobs scandal allegedly involving former DMK minister V. Senthil Balaji. During a hearing, the bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi expressed serious concerns over the sheer scale of the case, describing it as unprecedented in Indian legal history. They remarked that with more than 2,000 accused and 500 witnesses, this case could become the largest trial in the country. The judges even humorously stated that a courtroom might not suffice to accommodate everyone involved, and a venue as large as a cricket stadium might be required just to register the presence of all the accused individuals.
The Court conveyed its dissatisfaction with what appeared to be a deliberate attempt by the state to suppress the allegations against Balaji. The justices noted that the judiciary’s intervention had prevented such efforts from succeeding. They suggested that the move to implicate such a large number of people may be an intentional tactic to bury the main case under procedural delays. The bench specifically highlighted the challenges faced by the public prosecutor, stating that when influential politicians and wealthy individuals are involved, there is often a justified fear that the prosecution may not act impartially or fairly. This raised deeper concerns about whether the prosecution would genuinely work toward justice or shield the powerful instead.
Another significant point raised by the Court was the plight of individuals who had paid bribes in desperation to obtain jobs. The judges reflected on whether such individuals, rather than being prosecuted as criminals, should instead be considered victims of exploitation and treated as witnesses. The Court emphasized that charging these individuals as accused would result in severe delays in justice. It asked the Tamil Nadu government to reconsider its position and clarify whether these individuals could be treated more sympathetically in the legal proceedings, especially since many of them had suffered financially and emotionally while trying to secure employment opportunities.
Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, representing the petitioners, shared emotional accounts of how people, including mothers and grandmothers, had gone so far as to pawn their jewelry to pay bribes. The Court responded firmly, stating that the trial judge should not dismiss any accused persons without conducting proper hearings. It also addressed procedural issues, expressing disappointment that state representatives failed to appear in court during a scheduled hearing, prompting Justice Surya Kant to fix further hearings for August 11 to resolve pending administrative issues, such as applications for expunging names from the list of accused.
The Supreme Court, in its earlier remarks, had indicated that the Tamil Nadu government seemed to be deliberately stalling the case against Balaji by overwhelming the legal process with an excessive number of accused individuals, many of whom were poor and vulnerable. The justices noted that these people, having paid sums ranging from ₹5,000 to ₹2 lakh, were being targeted instead of the powerful figures who coerced them. The Court warned that such a strategy could ensure the case drags on endlessly, potentially protecting the real perpetrators from facing justice.
The petition currently under consideration was filed by Y. Balaji, who represents those who claim to have been exploited in the scam. The petition challenges the Madras High Court’s decision in March 2024 to allow multiple supplementary charge sheets to be clubbed with the main charge sheet. The Supreme Court has asked the state to present detailed information regarding brokers or intermediaries, government officials who implemented the alleged recommendations from the minister, and those involved in the selection and appointment process.
In the hearing, Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan accused the state government of actively supporting its minister, suggesting collusion at the highest levels. In contrast, the state’s legal representatives—Senior Advocates Amit Anand Tiwari and Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi—claimed that the petitioner was engaging in forum shopping and highlighted that the Supreme Court had previously questioned the petitioner’s actions in related legal matters.
The allegations stem from the time when Senthil Balaji served as a minister between 2011 and 2015. It is alleged that during his tenure, several jobs within Chennai’s Metropolitan Transport Corporation were distributed in exchange for bribes. The Madras High Court had earlier justified clubbing multiple supplementary charge sheets with the main one, reasoning that all these charges were interconnected and involved similar sets of evidence and witnesses. According to official court documents, out of the 2,202 individuals named as accused, only 423 had actually appeared before the court so far.
Senthil Balaji himself was arrested in June 2023 on charges related to money laundering arising from the scam. He was granted bail in September 2024. Following his release, the Supreme Court objected to his return to ministerial office, making it clear that Balaji could not simultaneously hold a government position while on bail. He was eventually forced to step down from the Tamil Nadu state council of ministers. The ongoing petition in the Supreme Court, submitted through Advocate-on-Record Neha Rathi, continues to highlight significant procedural and ethical issues surrounding this deeply troubling case.
