Chennai ,07 July (H.S.):Former Tamil Nadu minister and senior DMK leader V. Senthilbalaji has approached the Madras High Court seeking anticipatory bail in the alleged ₹35-crore horse-trading case, contending that the allegations against him are politically motivated and unsupported by any direct evidence.

Justice G.K. Ilanthiraiyan is scheduled to hear the anticipatory bail petition on Wednesday, July 8.

The case originated from a complaint filed by TVK MLA N. Elaiyaraja, who represents the Uthangarai Assembly constituency in Krishnagiri district. The legislator alleged that he had been offered ₹35 crore to vote against the Speaker during a proposed resolution in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.

According to the complaint, Thirunavukkarasu, who claimed to be associated with a survey organisation called Indian Political Democratic Strategies (IPDS), contacted the MLA over the phone and allegedly attempted to persuade him to switch his political allegiance on behalf of influential persons from another political party. Elaiyaraja further alleged that after he rejected the offer and disconnected the call, Thirunavukkarasu contacted him again, repeated the proposal and threatened him and his family with serious consequences if the conversation was disclosed.

Based on the complaint, the Triplicane police registered a case under Sections 8 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, along with Sections 61(2)(a) and 351(3) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). During the investigation, police alleged that Thirunavukkarasu had acted at the instance of Senthilbalaji and another accused, Ashok Kumar, the former minister's brother. Following these findings, Senthilbalaji was named as an accused in the case.

In his anticipatory bail petition, Senthilbalaji denied any involvement in the alleged conspiracy and argued that investigators had failed to produce any material linking him to the alleged bribery attempt or the threats made to the MLA. He submitted that there were no call records, electronic communications, financial transactions, money trail, CCTV footage, recoveries or independent witnesses connecting him with the alleged offence.

Describing the case as politically motivated and initiated with mala fide intent, Senthilbalaji argued that arresting him without objective evidence would amount to arrest first and search for evidence later, contrary to established legal principles. The High Court is expected to consider the submissions when the matter comes up for hearing on Wednesday.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman