Tamil Nadu Senthil Balaji arrested News LIVE Updates: The ED, however, is yet to release any official statement regarding the arrest of DMK minister V Senthil Balaji (Twitter/@mkstalin)Tamil Nadu News LIVE Updates Today: After an 18-hour interrogation, and multiple searches across different parts of Chennai and Tamil Nadu, DMK minister V Senthil Balaji was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday in connection with an alleged money laundering case related to a job racket. Scroll down for the latest updates!
Following his arrest, Balaji, who holds the Electricity, Excise, and Prohibition porfolios, complained of chest discomfort, and was taken to the Government Multi Super Specialty Hospital in Chennai at around 2.30 am for a medical checkup. The ED called him the “prime suspect” in the cash-for-jobs case and informed a local court that he allegedly “misused” his office for illegal gratification and “engineered” a job racket scam in the state transport undertakings during 2014-15 with purported kickbacks paid by candidates through his associates.
What’s the case? The case is linked to a job-for-cash scam in the state’s transport department, which allegedly occurred during Balaji’s tenure as Transport minister in the AIADMK regime from 2011-16. The case was booked in March 2021, on the eve of the Assembly elections, when Chennai police filed a chargesheet against Balaji and 46 others, which included senior retired and serving officers of various transport corporations. The charges related to a recruitment scam that shook the state in 2014-15.
Tamil Nadu withdraws general consent to CBI to probe cases in state
The Tamil Nadu government has withdrawn general consent accorded to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate cases in the state. Stating that CBI should obtain permission from the Tamil Nadu government to investigate in the state, the home department was quoted as saying by ANI that this practice has been in place in West Bengal, Rajasthan, Kerala, Mizoram, Punjab, and Telangana.
DMK allies to hold 'public protest meeting' on Friday
DMK said in a tweet, "Despite the Supreme Court's admonition, the BJP's Enforcement Directorate does not appear to be changing its ways."
The tweet added, "To oppose the BJP's anti-democratic and vengeful dictatorial acts, a "Public protest meeting" will be conducted on June 16, 2023 (Friday) at 5.00 pm at Sivananda Colony, #Coimbatore, on behalf of the Secular Progressive Alliance Parties.
Our people's campaign will continue until we deliver the final blow to the BJP."
Senthil Balaji misused office to engineer cash-for-jobs 'scam': ED Chennai
Minister Senthil Balaji allegedly "misused" his office for illegal gratification and "engineered" a job racket scam in the state transport undertakings during 2014-15 with purported kickbacks paid by candidates through his associates, the ED informed a local court, according to PTI.
Calling him the "prime suspect" in the cash-for-jobs case, the federal probe agency also stated in its custody papers that alleged unaccounted cash deposits worth about Rs 1.60 crore were made in the bank accounts of Balaji and his wife.
Omar Abdullah strongly condemns ED arrest
Jammu and Kashmir-based National Conference (NC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also condemned the arrest and said they stood in solidarity with the DMK and Balaji. NC vice president Omar Abdullah slammed ED sleuths 'behaviour' during the arrest, according to PTI
'Tell me in which state has this not happened and which political party has not faced it. It has become a small price we pay for being in politics,' Abdullah told reporters at Magam in central Kashmir Budgam district.
'We strongly condemn the way they (ED personnel) behaved with the minister. Today the medical reports show that he has three main arteries are blocked and he needs a bypass surgery. I think the central government and these agencies should rethink about their behaviour,' Abdullah added.
'Kept in custody without water, put into mental depression and injuries on body': DMK MP P Wilson claims about Balaji's ED arrest
"There were no reasons to enter the house of (V Senthil Balaji) and the Secretariat where important files were kept. For 18 hours, he was kept in custody without water and put into mental depression. Some injuries are also there on his body," DMK MP P Wilson told PTI.
'BJP thinks they can win seats in Tamil Nadu by doing this': CPI's D Raja
CPI general secretary D Raja pointed out that the raid took place a few days after Union Home Minister Amit Shah claimed the BJP would win 25 Lok Sabha seats during a visit to Tamil Nadu, PTI reported. "It's highly objectionable that ED can go inside the Secretariat. If the BJP thinks they can win seats in Tamil Nadu by doing this, they are living in a fool's paradise. Tamil Nadu will not allow BJP," he said.
"After the Karnataka elections, the discontent of people against BJP is visible, and the BJP has become desperate. That is why they are doing unconstitutional things," he added.
'CBI and ED should be renamed as 'BJP's Army' ': Arvind Kejriwal
"CBI and ED should be renamed as 'BJP's Army'... We condemn the raid and arrest of a minister in Tamil Nadu. The manner in which the arrest has been made is also very objectionable," Kejriwal said during a press conference. "ED and CBI are not going after corrupt people anymore... all corrupt people are getting refuge in BJP," the AAP leader was quoted as saying by PTI."There was a time when these investigative agencies were respected. When they used to raid somewhere or arrest someone, it seemed that person must have done something wrong. Today, these agencies have become only political weapons of BJP," he said. Kejriwal added that BJP would still not win any seats in Tamil Nadu.
The AAP accused the BJP-led Centre of pursuing “vendetta politics” to divert the public attention from the real issues such as unemployment and inflation. “This arrest is a part of the continued attack on India's Opposition, and it undermines the very foundation of our democracy, which thrives on the principles of justice, fairness, and the right to dissent,” the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said in a statement.
“We stand in solidarity with Balaji and all those leaders of the Opposition who have been victims of BJP's undemocratic targeting. The Aam Aadmi Party remains committed to upholding the values that define us as a democratic nation and will continue to monitor the situation closely,” it added.
Balaji sent to judicial custody till June 28
PTI report said Senthil Balaji has been sent to judicial custody till June 28 by a local court. 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 sides. While the minister prayed for interim bail and permission to be shifted to a private hospital, the ED sought police custody of Balaji. Read more
'A hypocritical U-turn': BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla on CM Stalin's stance
Speaking to news agency PTI, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla slammed CM Stalin. "When Senthil Balaji was not in DMK, this issue (of jobs scam) was raised by (CM) MK Stalin himself. At that time, they were at the foremost to raise this cash-for-job scam," Poonawalla said.
He also reiterated the Opposition parties playing "victimhood" card remark. He added, "Today, when finally the investigations have taken place and just last month Supreme Court no less has granted relief to Senthil Balaji and said the ED must proceed to investigate against him. Today, when he has been arrested these parties which indulge in cash-for-job scam which have a rate card for youths whether it be Bengal's Partha, Bihar's Laluji or whether it be DMK's Tamil Nadu Balaji, they are playing the victimhood card...This is just a hypocritical U-turn."
High Court justice R Sakthivel recuses from hearing habeas corpus petition filed by Balaji's wife
"Madras High Court justice R Sakthivel recuses from the Bench hearing the habeas corpus petition filed by Megala, wife of Tamil Nadu Minister Senthil Balaji," news agency ANI said in a tweet.
The case goes back to November 2014, when the state-run Metropolitan Transport Corporation announced a recruitment drive through five separate advertisements. They aimed to fill positions for 746 drivers, 610 conductors, 261 junior tradesmen, 13 junior engineers, and 40 assistant engineers. The allegations of corruption emerged following these recruitment advertisements.
A man named Devasagayam lodged the first complaint in October 2015, claiming he had given Rs 2.60 lakhs to a conductor, Palani, to secure his son’s employment in the Transport Corporation. His son never got the job, and his money was never returned. Significantly, the complaint didn’t implicate the then Transport minister Balaji. Arun Janardhanan explains
While speaking to news agency ANI, Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai accused DMK and Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin of changing their stance over Senthil Balaji's alleged corruption case, in which he is arrested.
"In 2016, when MK Stalin was the opposition leader, he went to Senthil Balaji's house and also said that Balaji is a corrupt person in this case. In 2018, after S Balaji joined DMK, CM is saying that he is innocent. In 2016, when I-T Dept raided TN Chief Secy's office, MK Stalin welcomed it. Now, CM says ED entering Secretariat is an affront on federalism is nonsensical," Annamalai said.
Soon after MK Stalin lashed out at the BJP, Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai asked the chief minister why he was playing the "victim card". Annamalai shared a video of Stalin speaking about Balaji (who was earlier in the AIADMK), and the jobs-for-cash scam many years ago and asked if the CM will "refute" his earlier statement.
Reacting to Tamil Nadu Minister Senthil Balaji's arrest, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal said, “When there is an Opposition party in power in a state, the ‘double engine’ government becomes the ‘double barrel’ government – the two barrels being ED and CBI"
This outpouring of support then – about 200 DMK workers confronted the I-T officials in his constituency Karur – gives a sense of the heft that Balaji has established over the years in western Tamil Nadu and the influence he commands in the politically-significant OBC Goundar community that he belongs to. Who is Senthil Balaji, now arrested by the ED? Arun Janardhanan writes
Hours after Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthil Balaji was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case Wednesday, political parties including the DMK, Congress and AAP hit out at the BJP-led Centre accusing it of playing “vendetta politics” and allegedly misusing probe agencies against the Opposition.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge condemned the arrest of Balaji and termed it “political harassment” against the Opposition, and asserted that they won’t be bulldozed by such use of force. In a statement, Kharge said, “This is nothing but political harassment and vendetta by the Modi government against those opposed to it. None of us in the Opposition will be intimidated by such brazen moves.” Read more
Arrested Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthil Balaji has undergone a coronary angiogram and has been advised bypass surgery at the "earliest", the Government Multi Super Specialty Hospital in Chennai said.
In a bulletin, the hospital said that Balaji underwent a coronary angiogram at 10.40 am today. "Coronary angiogram revealed triple vessel disease for which CABG (coronary artery bypass graft) - bypass surgery," it said.
Senthil Balaji, 47, who was born into a poor farming community, holds the electricity and excise portfolios in Chief Minister M K Stalin’s Cabinet. A four-time MLA, he made his electoral debut in 2006 on an AIADMK ticket. He was also in former CM J Jayalalithaa’s Cabinet between 2011 and 2015. He joined the DMK three years later.
His stint as an AIADMK leader was marked by his allegiance to Jayalalithaa. In that period, he had made news for holding special pujas, lighting lakhs of lamps, wearing headgear denoting the party symbol, and breaking coconuts to honour his leader and the party. Balaji was the strategist behind 2013’s Amma water initiative which was aimed at providing affordable drinking water. He had even shaved his head in support of the former CM after she was acquitted in a disproportionate assets case in 2017. Read more
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) condemned the arrest of Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthil Balaji in connection with a money laundering case and called it "part of the continued attack on India's opposition".
In a statement released by AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadda, the party said the manner in which Balaji was arrested is "inhumane" and "raises serious concerns about the working methods of the ED".
"We stand in solidarity with Balaji and all those opposition leaders who have been victims of BJP's undemocratic targeting," AAP said.
DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin stepped up his attack on the BJP over the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arresting his cabinet colleague V Senthil Balaji, as he said the minister will face the case legally, and so will the party.
In a statement, Stalin said, "They had pressured him to the point of him suffering a chest pain". He questioned the need for such a long probe even after Balaji assured full cooperation to the probe and asked 'if such an inhumane action by the ED officials is warranted.
Reacting to DMK minister V Senthil Balaji's arrest by the ED in relation to a money laundering case, National Congress Party (NCP) MLA Supriya Sule said she was "not surprised at all". "...you see that 95% CBI, ED cases are against the Opposition...so I am not surprised at all," she told news agency ANI
In visual: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin reached the Omandurar government medical hospital in Chennai to visit arrested DMK minister Senthil Balaji. Balaji was admitted after he complained of chest pain post his arrest at 2:30 am today.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin reached the Government Multi Super Specialty Hospital in Chennai to meet arrested DMK minister V Senthil Balaji.
The case is linked to a job-for-cash scam in the state’s transport department, which allegedly occurred during Balaji’s tenure as Transport minister in the AIADMK regime from 2011-16. The case was booked in March 2021, on the eve of the Assembly elections, when Chennai police filed a chargesheet against Balaji and 46 others, which included senior retired and serving officers of various transport corporations. The charges related to a recruitment scam that shook the state in 2014-15.
In case you just joined our live blog, here's what you need to know about Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthil Balaji's arrest so far.
? After an 18-hour interrogation, and multiple searches across different parts of Chennai and Tamil Nadu, DMK minister V Senthil Balaji was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday in connection with an alleged money laundering case related to a job racket.
? Following his arrest, Balaji complained of chest discomfort and was taken to the Government Multi Super Specialty Hospital in Chennai at around 2.30 am for a medical checkup.
? The ED is yet to release any official statement regarding the arrest or searches.
? Soon after, Tamil Nadu ministers including Udhayanidhi Stalin, Anbil Mahesh, PK Sekar Babu, K Ponmudi, Ma Subramaniam, and S Regupthy reached the government hospital in Chennai. It is unclear whether they were allowed to meet Senthil Balaji.
? The DMK termed the arrest "illegal and unconstitutional" and said they will take up the matter legally.
? Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge condemned Senthil Balaji's arrest and called it "political harassment and vendetta by the Modi government".
? The BJP and AIADMK, meanwhile, have called for the dismissal of Balaji from the DMK.
Stay tuned to our live blog for more updates! :)
State Minister P K Sekar Babu claimed there were 'symptoms' that arrested DMK leader V Senthil Balaji has been 'tortured'. Visuals showed Balaji being uneasy while being brought to the Government Medical College, Omandurar Government Estate in Chennai.
"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.
Tamil Nadu minister K Ponmudi and Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi reached the Government Multi Super Specialty Hospital in Chennai to visit arrested DMK minister V Senthil Balaji.
Calling it a "complete drama by DMK," Tamil Nadu BJP vice-president Naryanan Thirupathy called for the dismissal of V Senthil Balaji, who was arrested by the ED in connection with a money laundering case.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Thirupathy said, "...ED called Senthil Balaji for interrogation, he is a minister, and it's his duty to cooperate with the investigation…I demand CM MK Stalin to dismiss Senthil Balaji from his ministry immediately and ask him to cooperate with the probe"
Despite the outcry, the Enforcement Directorate is yet to release any official statement regarding the arrest or searches. Top ED sources said they were yet to complete the arrest procedures as Balaji had variations in blood pressure and ECG.
Tamil Nadu Law Minister S Regupathy expressed doubts about the adherence to basic procedures (of arrest) of Senthil Balaji by the ED.
He criticised the method of operation as “unwarranted and inhuman,” causing unnecessary stress and strain on Balaji. He also condemned the withholding of information about the minister’s current health condition and the circumstances of his arrest from family and friends, noting, “people behind this arrest will be accountable before the law.”
Heavy security has been deployed at the Omandurar government hospital in Chennai, where arrested Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji has been brought for medical examination. He was admitted after he complained of chest pain, and his ECG showed variations.
Reacting to Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthil Balaji's arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in connection to a money laundering case, Congress president Mallikarjun called it a "political harassment and vendetta by Modi govt against those opposed to it".
In a press release condemning Balaji's arrest, Kharge said, "None of us in the opposition will be intimidated by such brazen news".
Soon after Senthil Balaji's arrest in connection with a money laundering case, Tamil Nadu Law Minister S Raghupathi said that the former was allegedly "targeted and tortured".
"ED kept questioning him continuously for 24 hours. This is totally against human rights. They (ED) have to answer to the people and the court," he said, news agency ANI reported.
Arrested DMK minister Senthil Balaji, who was admitted to a government hospital in Chennai after he complained of chest pain, had variations in his ECG, hospital sources said.
"When Minister Senthil Balaji was admitted to the hospital, his high blood pressure was 160/110 and he had severe chest pain and there were variations in ECG. He now looks fine, however, till cardiac function returns to normalcy, he should be under observation in the hospital for one or two days," the source said. -- Arun Janardhanan reports
Speaking to reporters after meeting arrested minister V Senthil Balaji, Tamil Nadu Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Udhyanidhi Stalin said said that the DMK would be taking legal action against any violations involved in Balaji’s arrest.
In visual: DMK minister and CM MK Stalin's son Udhayanidhi Stalin visited arrested leader V Senthil Balaji, after the latter was admitted to a hospital in Chennai.
DMK Rajya Sabha MP NR Elango termed V Senthil Balaji's arrest by ED as "illegal" and "unconstitutional". Speaking to news agency ANI, Elango said, "Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji was picked up by ED & brought to Omandurar govt hospital. It seems he was not conscious when he was admitted to the hospital. It is totally illegal and unconstitutional arrest. We will fight it legally"
Arrested Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthil Balaji has been admitted to the Government Multi Super Specialty Hospital in Chennai for a medical checkup. Cabinet ministers including Ma Subramanian, K Ponmudy, Udhayanidhi Stalin, PK Sekar Babu, Anbil Mahesh Poyya Mozhi, S Regupathy and others have been visiting the hospital to check up on Balaji.
Soon after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in relation to a money laundering case, Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthil Balaji was admitted to a hospital in Chennai after he complained of chest pain.
After visiting Balaji in the hospital, Minister for Municipal Administration KN Nehru said, "He is under treatment for chest pain.. He did not speak to us, he didn't look comfortable. The doctors are observing him, our health minister is present there".
The case is linked to a job-for-cash scam in the state’s transport department, which allegedly occurred during Senthil Balaji’s tenure as Transport minister in the AIADMK regime from 2011-16. The case was booked in March 2021, on the eve of the Assembly elections, when Chennai police filed a chargesheet against Balaji and 46 others, which included senior retired and serving officers of various transport corporations. The charges related to a recruitment scam that shook the state in 2014-15.
Following his arrest, Balaji, who holds the Electricity, Excise, and Prohibition portfolios, complained of chest discomfort and was taken to the Government Multi Super Specialty Hospital in Chennai at around 2.30 am for a medical checkup. In this video, Senthil Balaji is seen breaking down while being taken to the hospital.
Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday in connection with an alleged money laundering case related to a job racket, according to Enforcement Directorate (ED) sources.
The arrest followed an 18-hour interrogation at a dozen places in Chennai and Karur, including the Balaji’s official residence in Chennai, his official chamber at the State Secretariat at Fort St. George, and his brother Ashok’s house in Chennai. Arun Janardhanan reports
Hello! Welcome to today's live blog. We bring to you latest updates on DMK minister V Senthil Balaji's arrest. Stay tuned!