O R D E R

The petitioner who was arrested and remanded to judicial custody on 14-06-

2023 for alleged offence under Section 3 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (for brevity, hereinafter referred to as “the PMLA”) punishable under Section 4 of the PMLA in ECIR No. MDSZO/21/2021, presently pending in C.C.No.9 of

2023, before the Principal Sessions Judge, Chennai, seeks for bail in this petition.

2. The brief facts of the case:

2.1.Between 2011 and 2016, the petitioner was holding the position of Transport Minister in the Government of Tamil Nadu. While serving as a Minister, it is alleged that, he, in connivance with his personal assistants and along with his brother, orchestrated collection of money by promising job opportunities in various positions within the Transport Department. This gave rise to several complaints made by candidates, who had paid the money but were not able to secure the employment. The investigation ultimately ended with three final reports filed by the Central Crime Branch, Chennai in C.C.No.19 of 2020, C.C.No.24 of 2021 and C.C. No.25 of 2021 and in all these cases, the petitioner has been arrayed as A.1 and it is pending before the trial of cases r