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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday expressed surprise at the fact that V Senthil Balaji was appointed a minister in Tamil Nadu right after getting bail. The court said that it would look into the issue of witnesses feeling threatened after the move.
A bench of Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Augustine George Masih, however, refrained from recalling the bail judgment.
“We grant bail and the next day you go and become minister! Anybody will be bound to be under the impression that now with your position as a senior Cabinet minister witnesses will be under pressure. What is going on?” Justice Oka asked.
The apex court had granted bail to Balaji, despite finding that there was a prima facie case against him, on the ground of his long incarceration (since June 2023) and the unlikelihood of the trial commencing soon.
The court also held that the requirement of speedy trial must be read as a condition in special statutes that impose stringent bail conditions.
Soon after the release, Balaji took oath as the minister in chief minister MK Stalin‘s cabinet, with charge over the portfolios of electricity, non-conventional energy development, prohibition & excise.
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