Chennai, the Enforcement Directorate on Monday informed a sessions court here that with an ulterior motive to stop the judicial process in a money laundering case, former Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji was constantly filing petitions and, therefore, causing a delay in the start of the trial.
Karthik Dasari, Deputy Director, Chennai Zonal Office, Enforcement Directorate, stated this in his counter affidavit filed before Chief Sessions Judge S Alli, in response to the petitions filed by Balaji.
In a petition, Balaji sought to adjourn the present proceedings and adjourn the case to a later date. In two other requests, he attempted to provide her with the missing documents in 'Trust Documents Nos-16 and 17', copies of challans related to his account that were collected by the Education Department in its investigation of him.
In his counter affidavit, Dasari stated that the petitioner/accused had already filed a petition for adjournment of the proceedings and this court had dismissed the same. To challenge this order, the petitioner had preferred to file an appeal, which was pending before the Madras High Court.
"The relief of 'adjournment of present proceedings' does not fall within the purview of section 309 Cr.P.C. This petition has no relevance at this stage and the petitioner cannot use it as a tool to stop the issuance of the orders in the petition for discharge and also "Subsequent charging proceedings by this court may be addressed when the trial begins.
He said that the petitioner/accused, disregarding the directions of the high court, was delaying the commencement of the trial by filing several petitions before various forums.
The sole motive of the accused in filing the present petition was solely to stop the issuance of the orders in the release petition filed by the accused and the subsequent judicial proceedings. The same amounts to a gross abuse of the legal process. Therefore, this court may reject petitions that were intended to delay the trial process.
Dasari said that the documents and material evidence relied upon by the ED to prove and establish the involvement of the petitioner/accused in the offense of money laundering as defined under section 3 of the PMLA have already been produced before this court. . The copies thereof have also been duly delivered to the petitioner on August 28, 2023.
The judge set an additional hearing in the case for July 4.
The judge also extended until July 4 the preventive detention of the former minister, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on June 14, 2023 in a money laundering case linked to the cash-for-employment scam when he was Minister of Transport during the previous AIADMK regime. .
The judge before whom Balaji was produced by the prosecution through video conferencing from the Puzhal central prison also extended his judicial custody till July 4.
Karthik Dasari, Deputy Director, Chennai Zonal Office, Enforcement Directorate, stated this in his counter affidavit filed before Chief Sessions Judge S Alli, in response to the petitions filed by Balaji.
In a petition, Balaji sought to adjourn the present proceedings and adjourn the case to a later date. In two other requests, he attempted to provide her with the missing documents in 'Trust Documents Nos-16 and 17', copies of challans related to his account that were collected by the Education Department in its investigation of him.
In his counter affidavit, Dasari stated that the petitioner/accused had already filed a petition for adjournment of the proceedings and this court had dismissed the same. To challenge this order, the petitioner had preferred to file an appeal, which was pending before the Madras High Court.
"The relief of 'adjournment of present proceedings' does not fall within the purview of section 309 Cr.P.C. This petition has no relevance at this stage and the petitioner cannot use it as a tool to stop the issuance of the orders in the petition for discharge and also "Subsequent charging proceedings by this court may be addressed when the trial begins.
He said that the petitioner/accused, disregarding the directions of the high court, was delaying the commencement of the trial by filing several petitions before various forums.
The sole motive of the accused in filing the present petition was solely to stop the issuance of the orders in the release petition filed by the accused and the subsequent judicial proceedings. The same amounts to a gross abuse of the legal process. Therefore, this court may reject petitions that were intended to delay the trial process.
Dasari said that the documents and material evidence relied upon by the ED to prove and establish the involvement of the petitioner/accused in the offense of money laundering as defined under section 3 of the PMLA have already been produced before this court. . The copies thereof have also been duly delivered to the petitioner on August 28, 2023.
The judge set an additional hearing in the case for July 4.
The judge also extended until July 4 the preventive detention of the former minister, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on June 14, 2023 in a money laundering case linked to the cash-for-employment scam when he was Minister of Transport during the previous AIADMK regime. .
The judge before whom Balaji was produced by the prosecution through video conferencing from the Puzhal central prison also extended his judicial custody till July 4.
