In a relief to former Tamil Nadu minister Senthil Balaji, the Supreme Court granted him bail in a money laundering case after over 15 months, noting there is no possibility of the completion of trial in the near future.

The top court said Balaji, who was arrested by the ED, has been in jail since last year and his continued detention will amount to an infringement of his fundamental right. Noting that there are more than 2,000 accused and over 600 witnesses in the case, a bench said inordinate delay in the conclusion of the trial and the higher threshold for the grant of bail cannot go together.