Chennai : Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi sacked state minister V Senthil Balaji from the Council of Ministers on Thursday. In an official release issued by the Raj Bhavan, it has been said that Senthil Balaji is ‘facing serious criminal action in several cases of corruption including taking cash in lieu of job and money laundering’. By misusing his position as a minister, he has been obstructing the investigation and obstructing the due course of law and justice.
A release issued by the Raj Bhavan said that Tamil Nadu government minister V Senthil Balaji is currently in judicial custody in a criminal case, which is being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). He also has some other criminal cases registered against him under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code, which are being investigated by the state police.
investigation can be affected
It has been said in the release that there is an apprehension that the continuation of V Senthil Balaji in the Council of Ministers will adversely affect the due process of law including fair investigation, due to which the constitutional machinery in the state may collapse. According to the release, under these circumstances, the Governor has dismissed Senthil Balaji from the Council of Ministers with immediate effect.
Senthil Balaji was arrested on June 14
According to media reports, V Senthil Balaji was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on June 14 in a money laundering case and is in judicial custody till July 12. He has been hospitalized after he was arrested in an alleged cash-for-jobs case in 2014, when he was the transport minister in the previous AIADMK government. He had joined DMK in 2018.
Money laundering case: ED raids Tamil Nadu Power Minister V Senthil Balaji’s house
Bypass surgery in private hospital
The report states that the arrested minister V Senthil Balaji had undergone bypass surgery on June 21 at a private hospital in Chennai. The ED had opposed the transfer of Balaji to a private hospital. The investigating agency had moved the Supreme Court after the Madras High Court allowed the DMK leader to do so, but the Supreme Court refused to stay the High Court order.
