Senthil Balaji arrest: Madras HC to hear wife's plea

The matter was mentioned before a bench of Justices M Sundar and R Sakthivel by senior advocate and DMK Rajya Sabha MP NR Elango, who said that the arrest came without any notice or summons.

Chennai (Tamil Nadu): The Madras High Court on Wednesday agreed to hear the habeas corpus plea of Senthil Balaji's wife S Megala with regard to his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

According to sources in the ED, Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister Senthil Balaji was arrested in a case lodged under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after a questioning session that lasted for about 18 hours. The case pertains to the complaints of cheating by the Minister who has accepted cash for jobs when he held the Transport Ministry during the previous AIADMK regime.

The matter was mentioned before a bench of Justices M Sundar and R Sakthivel by senior advocate and DMK Rajya Sabha MP NR Elango, who said that the arrest came without any notice or summons. The bench asked the petitioner to get the case numbered and mention it at 1.30 pm again.

Balaji, who was arrested, has been admitted to an Intensive Care Unit at a city government hospital. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin along with other ministers visited the hospital on Wednesday morning. Stalin blamed the ED officials of torturing Balaji despite the cooperation extended for the probe. The Tamil Nadu CM also questioned the intention of the ED on the pressure exerted during the probe.

Meanwhile, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has too hit out at the Narendra Modi-led government over Senthil's arrest calling it political harassment and vendetta.