Chennai, August 9(IANS)

The Enforcement Directorate has registered a case under Tamil Nadu minister for Electricity, Prohibition, and Excise, Senthil  Balaji under the Prevention of Money Laundering (PML)Act.

The central agency has summoned the minister to appear before it on August 11, sources told BPNS.

The Central Crime Branch of Tamil Nadu police has registered three cases against Senthil Balaji on charges of cheating while serving as State transport minister in the previous AIADMK government. The Madras High court had quashed one of the three cases registered by the Chennai Crime branch police against him.

Sources told BPNS that the cases against Balaji were from the other cases registered against him by the Chennai crime branch police. According to the Crime branch First Information Report (FIR), it was alleged that Senthil Balaji while serving as the state transport minister had entered into a conspiracy with senior officials of all the State Transport Undertakings with a motive of appointing people as Driver, Conductor, Junior Tradesman, Assistant Engineer, and Junior Engineer in these State Transport Undertakings.

The senior officials of these STUs were charged with entering into a criminal conspiracy in forging and altering the interview marks of candidates in records with the intention of overlooking and cheating meritorious candidates.

The charge sheet had also said that the registers were tampered with to provide jobs to ineligible candidates. The recent charge sheet filed by the Chennai Crime Branch on March 2021 has leveled serious allegations against the minister including corrupt practices in recruitment.

Sources told BPNS that the Enforcement Directorate has registered the case based on the First Information Report of other agencies and the case under the PMLA was registered against him.