The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday arrested Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), official sources told PTI, making him the first minister in the M K Stalin-led government to face such an action from a central agency. Balaji was arrested after a long session of questioning, they said, even as the 48-year-old minister was admitted to a city government hospital after he complained of uneasiness.
He is likely to be produced before a special court later where the agency will seek his custody. Chief Minister Stalin, who had already slammed the ED raids against Balaji on Tuesday as “intimidation politics”, went into a huddle with his senior party colleagues today following the minister’s arrest.
The ED 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.
Earlier, he was hospitalised after complaining of uneasiness, DMK leaders said. State Minister P K Sekar Babu claimed there were ‘symptoms’ that Balaji has been ‘tortured’. TV visuals showed Balaji being uneasy while being brought to the Government Medical College, Omandurar Government Estate in the city.
“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.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday carried out searches at the premises in Chennai and Karur of V Senthil Balaji, Tamil Nadu’s minister for electricity, prohibition, and excise.
Last month, the income tax department too had searched people close to Balaji in the state.
Responding to Tuesday’s development, the minister said he was “ready to extend full cooperation” to the investigating agency.
The searches were carried out under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), sources said.
What’s the case?
The Supreme Court in May allowed police and ED to investigate an alleged cash-for-jobs scam against the DMK strongman.
Balaji was the transport minister in the AIADMK government, led by the late J Jayalalithaa, in 2011-15. It was alleged that he received kickbacks from various persons for appointing them as drivers and conductors in the transport corporations.
Three FIRs were registered against Balaji and later charge sheets were filed against him, which were pending before a special court for the trial of criminal cases connected to MPs and MLAs.
The ED registered a PMLA case against Balaji and others in July 2021 and took up the investigation.
Who is Balaji?
V Senthil Balaji began his public service as a local body member in 1997.
As a cadre of Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, he was elected to the Karur constituency in the 2006 assembly elections.
He was Tamil Nadu’s transport minister from 2011 till 2015 when he was dropped from the cabinet.
He was elected as an MLA from the Aravakurichi constituency in 2016.
After the demise of J Jayalalithaa, he played a key role in saving the government.
When the AIADMK separated into factions, he supported TTV Dhinakaran.
On September 18, 2017, 18 MLAs were disqualified by speaker P Dhanapal for their petition to then governor Banwarilal Purohit to change the chief minister.
Balaji then joined the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on December 14, 2018.
He was made a district secretary and later was announced as by-election candidate for the Aravakurichi constituency. He became an MLA for the fourth time on May 23, 2019.
Balaji won the assembly elections held in April 2021 and has been serving as minister for electricity, prohibition, and excise in the MK Stalin government.
PTI contributed to this report
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