Chennai News LIVE Updates: Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin called Governor RN Ravi's dismissal of V Senthil Balaji as "void" and "non-existent" (PTI)Chennai, Tamil Nadu News Live Updates: A day after Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi called for the dismissal of jailed Minister V Senthil Balaji from the State Cabinet, Chief Minister called the former’s actions “void” and “non-existent”.
In his letter to Ravi, Stalin said, “The fact that it needed the Home Minister’s intervention to direct you to take a legal opinion on this matter itself shows that you have acted in haste with scant regard to the Constitution of India,” Stalin said. Stalin hit out at the Governor for showing “bias” and practising “double standards”, and criticised him for the “inexplicable silence on my government’s request for sanctions to investigate, prosecute former ministers and public servants for offences committed during the previous AIADMK government.”
In the notification saying he was putting the dismissal “in abeyance”, Ravi indicated a message had come from the Centre, saying he had been “advised by the Union Minister of Home Affairs that it would be prudent to seek the opinion of the Attorney General also” on the matter.
TAMIL NADU Governor R N Ravi put on hold his unprecedented order dismissing arrested minister V Senthil Balaji after the state BJP unit raised an alarm, reportedly reaching out to the central leadership over the “blunder” and its “constitutional implications”.
A senior BJP leader told The Indian Express that while it was alright for politicians to “demand the dismissal of ministers” — which they routinely do, like in 2018 when the DMK called for the sacking of AIADMK minister C Vijayabaskar – they also realised that a Governor “could not act upon the same” unilaterally. Arun Janardhanan reports
The CPI(M) on Friday termed Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi's move to dismiss Minister V Senthil Balaji as "outrageous" and "unconstitutional". However, hours after the governor announced the minister's dismissal on Thursday, sources said Ravi has decided to keep the order in abeyance for the time being and informed Chief Minister M K Stalin about it.
"Remove governor of Tamil Nadu. This is a totally unconstitutional act as the governor has no right to appoint or remove ministers, except on the advice of the chief minister. Shri Ravi has been taking a series of steps, which amounts to interference in the politics of the state and in the running of the state government," the Left party said in a statement. (PTI)
A day after Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi called for the dismissal of jailed Minister V Senthil Balaji from the State Cabinet, Chief Minister called the former’s actions “void” and “non-existent”.
In his letter to Ravi, Stalin said, “The fact that it needed the Home Minister’s intervention to direct you to take a legal opinion on this matter itself shows that you have acted in haste with scant regard to the Constitution of India,” Stalin said. Stalin hit out at the Governor for showing “bias” and practising “double standards”, and criticised him for the “inexplicable silence on my government’s request for sanctions to investigate, prosecute former ministers and public servants for offences committed during the previous AIADMK government.”
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Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin writes a letter to Governor R.N. Ravi, reiterating that the latter had "no power to dismiss" his ministers, and that remains the "sole prerogative" of the Chief Minister. He also called the dismissal "unconstitutional", adding that it was done without the Chief Minister's advice, which makes it "void ab initio". (ANI)
DMK MP and Senior Advocate P. Wilson called V. Senthil Balaji's dismissal an 'affront to the constitution', adding that Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi ' doesn't want to conduct himself in accordance with the constitution'. Referring to the Home Minister asking Ravi to get advice from the Attorney General, Wilson said that 'one need not get advice from the Attorney General if you read Article 164 of the Constitution.' (ANI)
TMC National Spokesperson Saket Gokhale said that Tamil Nadu Governor suddenly changed his mind and withdrew the order dismissing V Senthil Balaji after 'a lot of opposition parties, including the TMC', pointed out how unconstitutional the move was. (PTI)
Hitting out at the Raj Bhavan for dismissing jailed Minister Senthil Balaji, Tamil Nadu Minister Thangam Thennarasu said "Guv has no authority to dismiss a minister; We disregard Governor's letter sacking Senthil Balaji from cabinet," news agency PTI reported
On June 14, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Tamil Nadu Minister Senthil Balaji in connection with an alleged jobs-for-cash scam dating back to his term as transport minister under the AIADMK government in 2015.
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. What's the case? We explain
In an extraordinary marathon hearing lasting more than 16 hours, the Madras High Court witnessed a fascinating duel of legal acumen between Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and former attorney general Mukul Rohatgi.
At the centre of the high-stakes showdown was the controversial arrest of V Senthil Balaji, the power and excise minister of Tamil Nadu, which has provoked an intense debate over the powers and prerogatives of the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Arun Janardhanan reports
Hours after dismissing jailed minister Senthil Balaji from the State Cabinet, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi put a hold to the decision, after Union Home Ministry's advice. In a letter to CM MK Stalin, Ravi said that he will now take the advice of the Attorney General after the Home Ministry asked the Governor to seek a legal opinion in this regard.
A day after the Tamil Nadu Governor dismissed Senthil Balaji from the Council of Ministers, Tamil Nadu Advocate General R Shunmagasundhram reached State Secretariat, news agency ANI reported. Chief Minister MK Stalin and senior advocate-DMK leader NR Elango are also present. (ANI)
A day after Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi dismissed jailed Minister Senthil Balaji from the state Cabinet, DMK supporters stick posters outside the party headquarters in Chennai raising questions about Ravi's silence on Union Ministers who are still in the cabinet with several cases registered against them.
Speaking on the dismissal of arrested Tamil Nadu Minister Senthil Balaji, DMK leader TKS Elangovan said "The Governor has no right, as per the Constitution, to remove any minister without the knowledge of the CM...But this Governor has never respected Constitution. He has violated Constitution continuously...Merely charged with a crime will not make him disqualified as a minister. That is the law of the land...."
As the ongoing conflict between Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi and the DMK government in the state came to a head on Thursday evening, following Ravi’s controversial decision to dismiss state minister Senthil Balaji, Chief Minister M K Stalin said Ravi has “no power” to issue such an order, even as the DMK said it is weighing legal options.
“The Governor has no power to dismiss a minister…we will face this legally,” Stalin said. The dismissal order was later put “on hold” pending legal advice. Arun Janardhanan reports
After an 18-hour interrogation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister Senthil Balaji was arrested on June 14 in a case 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.
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. Who is he? Find out here
In an unprecedented move, Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi dismissed V Senthil Balaji from the Council of Ministers last evening, further straining the relationship between the MK Stalin-led DMK government and the Raj Bhavan. Balaji, arrested June 14 by the Enforcement Directorate for an alleged job scam in 2015, is in judicial custody in a private hospital after having undergone a heart bypass surgery.
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