Chennai: A division bench of the Madras High Court delivered a split verdict on the habeas corpus petition moved by the wife of arrested Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthil Balaji, on Monday. Justices J Nisha Banu and D Bharatha Chakravarthy pronounced their verdict after they assembled for the orders in the petition filed against Senthil Balaji's "illegal detention".
Justice Nisha Banu allowed the petition and set Senthil Balaji at liberty. Her brother judge, Bharatha Chakravarthy did not agree with her. The latter disallowed the petition and upheld the detention by the Enforcement Directorate. Holding that the HCP was maintainable, Justice Banu ordered the police to set Senthil Balaji at liberty forthwith.
The brother judge who disagreed with the judgment of Justice Nisha Banu, posed four questions to the case in hand and answered all those four questions he framed in his order. According to the judge, the HCP was not maintainable. The orders said the petitioner has not made out any case to hold that the remand was not valid.
He ordered that Senthil Balaji can continue to take treatment in a private hospital (Kavery Hospital) till he was discharged or 10 days from today, whichever was earlier. Thereafter he can take treatment in a Prison/government hospital, the orders read.
Senthil Balaji was arrested on June 14 by the ED in connection with a cash-for jobs-scam when he was the Transport Minister in the earlier AIADMK regime. He was later hospitalised upon complaining of chest pain and has undergone a bypass surgery in the private hospital.
