Madras High Court Sends Notice to Former AIADMK Minister Bhalaji Over Job Scam
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Synopsis
The Madras High Court has directed former AIADMK minister Rajenthra Bhalaji to respond to a notice concerning a job fraud case from his ministerial term. The directive follows allegations of improper investigation by the Tamil Nadu Police regarding a complaint involving substantial bribes for government job promises.
Key Takeaways
- Madras High Court issues notice to Rajenthra Bhalaji.
- Petitioner claims poor investigation by Tamil Nadu Police.
- Bhalaji accused of collecting bribes for government jobs.
- Case transferred to CBI for further investigation.
- Justice P. Velmurugan oversees the proceedings.
Chennai, Jan 21 (NationPress) The Madras High Court has issued a notice to AIADMK leader and former minister Rajenthra Bhalaji regarding a job racket case that traces back to his time in office as a minister.
The single judge Bench, headed by Justice P. Velmurugan, instructed Bhalaji to reply to the notice within four weeks.
This notice was prompted by a petition from K. Nallathambi of Virudhunagar, who claimed that the Tamil Nadu Police failed to conduct a timely and thorough investigation into his complaint against the former minister.
The petitioner requested the court to direct the Inspector General (South Zone) to hasten the investigation and submit a final charge sheet regarding this matter.
Senior counsel R. Sankarasubbu, who is representing Nallathambi, indicated that Bhalaji was included in the case following court directives.
The counsel contended that Bhalaji breached the Supreme Court conditions for interim bail. It was noted that on January 6, the court had reassigned another job fraud case against Bhalaji, launched by S. Ravindran, to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Nonetheless, Justice P. Velmurugan declined to merge Nallathambi's petition with Ravindran's case, directing Bhalaji to submit his response within four weeks.
It’s important to note that in 2021, Nallathambi filed a complaint with the Virudhunagar District Crime Branch (DCB), accusing Bhalaji of soliciting around ₹3 crore in bribes from several people in exchange for promises of government jobs, none of which were fulfilled.
In light of this complaint, the DCB initiated a case and arrested Bhalaji. In November 2022, the Supreme Court granted Bhalaji interim bail, subject to conditions such as surrendering his passport and cooperating with the investigation.
In a separate case filed by S. Ravindran from Sattur, it was alleged that Bhalaji accepted ₹30 lakh via AIADMK functionary K. Vijaya Nallathambi in exchange for securing an Aavin District Manager position for his nephew.
The DCB registered an FIR against both Bhalaji and Nallathambi based on Ravindran's allegations.
Despite the court's order for prompt investigation completion, little progress was made.
On November 15, 2024, Justice Velmurugan dismissed Ravindran's plea after the government's counsel indicated that the investigation was concluded, though the prosecution sanction was still pending.
The judge instructed the DCB to acquire the necessary sanction swiftly and file the charge sheet. When the case was brought up again on January 6, 2025, the government attorney asked for two more days to finalize the sanction.
Frustrated by the delay, Justice Velmurugan stated that the state police appeared incapable of adhering to court orders and transferred the investigation to the CBI.
