Balaji, first TN minister to be arrested by ED, sent to jail till June 28

The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday arrested Tamil Nadu electricity, prohibition and excise minister V Senthil Balaji under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, official sources said, making him the first member in the MK 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".

A court in Chennai on Wednesday sent Balaji to judicial custody till June 28.

Sessions court principal judge S Alli visited the government hospital where Balaji was admitted this morning before passing the order.

The court also reserved orders on a total three pleas filed by either side. While the minister prayed for interim bail and permission to be shifted to a private hospital, the ED sought police custody of Balaji.

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.

The case against Balaji and his aides pertain to his tenure as the state transport minister in the AIADMK government during 2011-15 when he along with his associates including his brother R V Ashok Kumar, PA B Shanmugam entered into a criminal conspiracy with the managing directors of all state transport undertakings (STU) and other officers of transport corporations to obtain illegal gratification from candidates to recruit them as drivers, conductors, junior tradesmen, junior engineer and assistant engineer in the transport corporation during 2014-15.

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 Bharatiya Janata Party 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.

The BJP state unit sought to dismiss Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam'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.

The agency had launched multi-city searches in the state on Tuesday at the premises linked to the DMK's Karur strongman as part of the probe into money laundering.

The action came months after the Supreme Court allowed a police and ED probe into an alleged cash for jobs scam against him.

In the early hours of Wednesday, Balaji was hospitalised after complaining of uneasiness, DMK leaders said.

State minister PK Sekar Babu claimed there were 'symptoms' that Balaji was 'tortured'.

TV visuals showed Balaji feeling uneasy and crying while being brought to hospital.

"He is in the ICU. He was in an unconscious state and did not respond when we called him by his name. He is under observation...there is a swelling near his ear. Doctors say there is variation in his ECG (electrocardiogram)... these are symptoms of torture," Babu told reporters.

Balaji 'underwent Coronary Angiogram at 10.40 am' today, a medical bulletin issued by the Director of the Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Speciality Hospital, Omandurar Estate, said.

"Coronary Angiogram revealed triple vessel disease, for which CABG (Coronary artery bypass graft) - Bypass Surgery is advised at the earliest," it said.

Meanwhile, the constituents of the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) lashed out at the ruling BJP at the Centre for the ED action and announced a massive public meeting in Coimbatore on Friday to protest against it over the issue.

A joint statement from SPA leaders including Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president K S Alagiri and state secretaries of the Communist Party of India and the Communist Party of India-Marxist, R Mutharasan and K Balakrishnan, respectively and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi founder Thol Thirumavalavan slammed the 'anti-people' BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and said it has not done anything for the people in the last nine years in office.

The saffron party was losing elections in many states and has realised it was on the way out in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and therefore was resorting to 'weakening democratic forces' to see if it can emerge victorious in the hustings next year, they said.

The BJP was attempting to scuttle the June 23 meeting of opposition parties in Bihar, held against its 'communal, authoritarian politics and as a result vengeful action is being launched in various states using the probe agencies', the SPA said.

TN BJP chief K Annamalai dismissed any charge of vindictive action by his party against the DMK and said the ED action was a culmination of a five year probe into the cash for jobs scam.

Explaining the case details, he said the Supreme Court had allowed a police and ED probe into the matter recently and insisted the agency action was in lines with that only.

"That being the case, how is this political vendetta. Stalin and his alliance party leaders should explain," he told reporters in Chennai.

Slamming Balaji and justifying the action against him, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam senior leader and former minister D Jayakumar alleged irregularities in the handling of liquor stock and claimed illegal bars were being operated, resulting in loss to the exchequer.

Liquor sales in Tamil Nadu is nationalised and Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) is the retailer.

Jayakumar also demanded that the ED should ascertain Balaji's health status with the help of AIIMS doctors and initiate further legal proceedings against him.

The ED had launched searches at locations linked to Balaji at Chennai, Karur and Erode on Tuesday as part of the probe into money laundering.

Balaji was earlier with the AIADMK and had been Transport Minister in the late Jayalalithaa-led Cabinet.