Police personnel stand guard outside the casualty ward of the Government Multi Super Specialty Hospital in Chennai, where Minister Senthil Balaji was taken for a checkup on June 14, 2023
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement
After nearly 18 hours of grilling, Enforcement Directorate officials have taken Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister Senthil Balaji from his home in a car, accompanied by Central Reserve Police at 2 a.m. on Wednesday. Three more vehicles carrying documents followed them.
The convoy of vehicles reached the Government Multi Super Specialty Hospital. He was seen taking on a stretcher to casualty ward for a medical checkup.
DMK Rajya Sabha MP and senior advocate N.R. Elango said the ED officials did not inform the family members of Mr. Balaji or anyone on whether he was arrested or not.
Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development Udhayanidhi Stalin, Health Minister M. Subramanian and PWD Minister E.V. Velu visited the hospital.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday had launched searches at Mr. Balaji’s official chamber in the State Secretariat and bungalow in Chennai and other places linked to him in Karur and Coimbatore in connection with an alleged money laundering case. This is the first time the Central agency has entered Fort St. George, the seat of power, targeting a Minister.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin dubbed it an “intimidation tactic” by the Narendra Modi Government.
While the Central agency did not release any statement till the time of filing this report, it is understood that the searches were being conducted in connection with money laundering related to a job racket that allegedly took place when Mr. Balaji served as Transport Minister during 2011-15 in Jayalalithaa’s Cabinet.
It is alleged that bribe was sought for jobs in the Metropolitan Transport Corporation. Last month, the Supreme Court cleared the decks for probe, saying, “The investigation officer is to proceed with further investigation in all cases.”