FPJ Exclusive: ED Goes After DMK Via Vijay’s TVK Govt

Chennai: The ED has written to the Tamil Nadu government headed by CM C Joseph Vijay, seeking sanction to prosecute former DMK minister Senthil Balaji in the alleged cash-for jobs scam in the transport department, sources said.

In a communication dated May 15 sent to the chief secretary, ED’s Chennai Zone alleged that the previous DMK government had “deliberately delayed” granting sanction to prosecute Balaji because he was a minister. The TVK government, led by Vijay, was sworn in on May 10.

During the election campaign, Vijay had described the DMK as a “theeya sakthi” (evil force), while several TVK leaders alleged corruption in the previous govt. Sources said the ED had first written to the Tamil Nadu Governor on May 14, 2025, seeking sanction to prosecute Balaji under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with the cash-for-jobs scam.

Balaji is accused number one in the case. According to the ED, during his tenure as Transport minister in the erstwhile AIADMK government between 2011 and 2016, he allegedly colluded with his brother RV Ashok Kumar and personal assistants B Shanmugham and M Karthikeyan to collect bribes in exchange for jobs such as drivers, conductors, tradesmen and engineers in State Transport Undertakings (STUs).

The ED alleged that large proceeds of crime were collected and attempts were made to layer and project the money as untainted through cash deposits and asset acquisitions. The case is currently being heard by the Special PMLA Court in Chennai, where a prosecution complaint, or chargesheet, has already been filed.

Sources said the ED had written to the Governor in line with the Supreme Court judgment in Directorate of Enforcement vs Bibhu Prasad Acharya (2024), which mandates prosecution sanction under Section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and Section 218 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) under the PMLA.

The Governor’s office forwarded the ED’s letter to the Tamil Nadu chief secretary on September 11, 2025.

However, sources said the then chief secretary returned the letter to the Governor’s office on what the ED described as “trivial grounds”, instead of granting sanction.

The state government maintained that it was the competent authority to accord prosecution sanction and argued that the Governor could not decide the matter suo motu. The Tamil Nadu government asked the Governor’s office to return the documents to the ED and directed the agency to approach the state government directly for a decision.

Following this, the Governor’s office returned the letter to the ED on February 23, 2026, and requested the agency to submit the proposal directly to the Tamil Nadu government so that it could be considered by the Council of Ministers, which would then advise the Governor.

Sources said the ED, in its latest communication, described the state government’s earlier action as “trivial” and alleged that it was a tactic to deliberately delay prosecution sanction because Balaji was a minister in the DMK government.

“The state government took a stand that the communication should have been sent to them directly, instead of being routed through the Governor’s office,” sources quoted the ED’s letter as saying.

Based on the Tamil Nadu government’s earlier response, the ED has now directly submitted the prosecution sanction request to the chief secretary’s office. The agency has also attached a complete dossier on its investigation, including the prosecution complaint dated Aug 12, 2023.

Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary M Saikumar did not respond to a message seeking comment.

According to the timeline of events, the Special PMLA Court took cognisance of the ED’s chargesheet against Balaji on Aug 14, 2023. The ED approached the Tamil Nadu Governor for prosecution sanction on May 14, 2025.

The chief secretary returned the letter to the Governor on Oct 8, 2025, stating that the ED should approach the state government directly. The Governor later returned the proposal to the ED on Feb 23, 2026, with the same advice.

Vijay took oath as Chief Minister on May 10, 2026, following which the ED again approached the Tamil Nadu government on May 15 seeking sanction to prosecute Balaji.