The Madras High Court has delivered a significant verdict affirming the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) authority to take Minister Senthil Balaji into custody. The court’s decision, reached after a split verdict, supports the ED’s right to detain the minister. This development comes in the wake of Senthil Balaji’s arrest in connection with a cash-for-job scam.
As per sources, on Friday, Justice Karthikeyan said that ED had the right to take Senthil Balaji into custody.
The bench said that it cannot be denied that respondents can take custody for further investigation. The Enforcement Directorate, which is the respondent in the case, has the right to take custody.
Justice Bharatha Chakravarthy further clarified that Senthil Balaji should be incarcerated after his discharge from the hospital. Notably, the judge deemed the Habeas Corpus Petition as not maintainable, stating that the petitioner failed to demonstrate any grounds for invalidating the remand.
Justice Nisha Banu, during the hearing on 4th July, held that the Habeas Corpus Petition was maintainable and directed the police to release Balaji. However, the latest ruling by the Madras HC affirms the ED’s legal grounds for the arrest, upholding the charges related to the cash-for-job scam.
Minister Senthil Balaji was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on July 14. According to reports, amid the questioning by ED, Senthil Balaji complained of chest pain and he was taken to Omandurar Government Hospital. After doctors found that he needed immediate medical intervention and bypass surgery, he was shifted to Kavery Hospital where he underwent a bypass surgery.
