A cricket stadium will be needed to conduct trial in cash-for-jobs cases involving former minister Senthil Balaji: SC on over 2,000 accused

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday (July 30) sought the details of all the accused and witnesses in the cash-for-jobs scam cases involving former Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthil Balaji, taking note of over 2000 accused and 500 witnesses in the cases.

A bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, while pulling up the state government of Tamil Nadu, that had there not been judicial intervention, the "reluctant state" wanted to give a decent burial of cases involving the former minister in the cash-for-job scam case.

The bench said it will be the most populated trial of India with over 2000 accused and 500 witnesses and a small courtroom of the trial court will not suffice and a cricket stadium will be needed to even mark the presence of the accused.

"With over 2000 accused and 500 witnesses it will be the most populated trial of India. A small courtroom of the trial court will not suffice and a cricket stadium will be needed to even mark the presence of the accused. Several Artificial Intelligence-generated accused will pop up to mark their presence," the bench told senior advocate Gopal Sankaranaryanan, who appeared for Y Balaji, representing victims of the scam and opposing the decision for clubbing of the cases.

The court, while terming the trial in the cases as rudderless ship, Tamil Nadu government that it wants a clear prosecutorial plan.

The bench, while dealing with the prayer seeking appointment of a special public prosecutor, told senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for the Tamil Nadu government, that when someone who has served as a minister is involved and there are bureaucrats or other influential individuals also facing trial, there may be a public perception that relying solely on a government-appointed public prosecutor might not be sufficient to ensure justice.

The apex court had on Tuesday expressed its displeasure over the state government attempting to delay the trial in cases involving Balaji by implicating more than 2,000 people as accused in the alleged cash-for-jobs scam while describing the attempt as a "complete fraud on the judicial system".

Balaji resigned from the Tamil Nadu cabinet on April 27 after the apex court took exception to him being reinstated as a minister in the state cabinet soon after grant of bail in "cash-for-job” scam. The top court, while asking him to choose between the post of minister and freedom, had warned him of cancelling his bail if he did not step down from the post of minister.

The apex court on September 26, 2024 granted bail to Balaji in the cash-for-jobs-linked money laundering case after over 15 months in jail, observing that there was no possibility of completion of the trial in the near future.