Job scam: Spare none, HC to police

Chennai: Senthil Balaji, former Tamil Nadu transport minister, may be in trouble, as the Madras high court has directed the crime branch police to intensify the investigation in the bus crew recruitment scam. Some 81 people have given complaint to police that cash was paid to various brokers for getting appointment as conductors and drivers in Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) when Balaji was the minister.
Justice P N Prakash, passing orders on a petition filed by a cheated conductor-aspirant who said police were shielding the ex-minister, said, "This court is of the view that it is the duty of the police to probe beyond the lower level minions and find out as to where the huge sum of 2 crore has gone."
The judge also directed assistant commissioner of police, Central Crime Branch, (job racketing), to take over the investigation that should be monitored by deputy commissioner of police, CCB.
A total of 12 persons have been arrested, it said, adding an FIR was registered on the complaint of one Devasagayam. The present petition was filed by Gopi who said he alone had paid 2.31 lakh after he was approached by one Ashokan, who claimed to be the brother of Senthil Balaji, then minister, and one Karthik, who claimed to be brother-in-law of the minister.
Gopi said police had collected complaints from individual persons, but saw to it that the name of the minister did not figure in the complaint in order to shield the minister.
He claimed that Devasagayam, on whose complaint the sole FIR was registered, has now somersaulted, because he has been won over by the accused.
Justice Prakash said, "in the considered opinion of this court, that cannot absolve an accused from criminal liability just because the de facto complainant had joined hands with the accused."
The judge also noted that Gopi has merely stated that a sum of 2.31 lakh was given to the minister during January and March 2015, but has not mentioned the date on which the amount was handed over, which is very crucial in a case of receipt of illegal gratification under the provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act.
He also held that yet another FIR need not be registered, as police already have an FIR on a complaint dated April 4, 2015.