NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday questioned Governor R N Ravi for taking a “long time” to accord sanction for the prosecution of former State Minister V Senthil Balaji in three cases linked to the cash-for-jobs scam case. Expressing its surprise at the delay on the part of the governor, a two-judge bench of Justices A S Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan said, “We were wondering why such a long time of over seven months was required for the governor to deal with the proposed sanction.” The bench then listed the case for further hearing on September 30, when it would peruse the status report of the special judge. The apex court expressed its surprise when it was informed by the Tamil Nadu government that the sanction was finally granted on August 23, 2024. The Tamil Nadu government, however, added that it had sought sanction from the governor as early as January 4, 2024. The Supreme Court also directed the Additional Sessions Judge presiding over the Special MP/MLA Court hearing the three cases against Balaji to submit a status report on the progress made in the cases. According to the prosecution, the predicate offences are registered against Balaji under Section 420 (cheating) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) also had filed a 1,000-page charge sheet against Senthil Balaji last year in the case.
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