Chennai:Tamil Nadu Minister Senthil Balaji on Wednesday was sent to judicial custody till June 28 by a local court in a PMLA case. Sessions Court Principal Judge S Alli visited the government hospital where Balaji was admitted this morning before passing the order. Balaji was arrested around 1.30 am on Wednesday by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), following raids on his premises since Tuesday morning. The agency action came months after the Supreme Court allowed a police and ED probe into a cash for jobs scam allegedly involving Balaji.
Earlier in the day, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested the Minister under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), official sources said, making him the first member in the M K Stalin-led Cabinet to face such an action from a central probe agency.
Balaji was arrested after a long session of questioning, they said, even as the 47-year-old minister was admitted to a city government hospital after he complained of uneasiness. He underwent a coronary angiogram and was advised bypass surgery at the "earliest". Balaji is likely to be produced before a special court later where the agency will seek his custody.
Seperately, a habeus corpus petition was filed in the Madras High Court, seeking his being produced before the court. Chief Minister Stalin, who had slammed the ED raids against Balaji on Tuesday as "intimidation politics", met his cabinet colleague at the Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Speciality Hospital, Omandurar Estate.
The Chief Minister stepped up his attack on the BJP over the ED arresting his cabinet colleague, as he asserted the minister will face the case legally, and so will the party. He charged the ED officials of "enacting a drama" in the name of enquiry and accused them of "physically and mentally troubling" Balaji. Leader of Opposition and AIADMK chief K Palaniswami sought Balaji's resignation on moral grounds. The BJP state unit sought to dismiss DMK's charge that it was resorting to vindictive action, saying the ED move was part of an ongoing investigation into the cash for jobs scam allegedly involving Balaji.
