The Chennai Sessions Court principal Judge ordered an extension of judicial custody of Minister Senthil Balaji till July 12. Senthil Balaji appeared in court through video conferencing from Kauvery Hospital. The leader was produced before Principal Sessions Judge S Alli. During the hearing, the judge asked the Minister about his health status for which he said that "it was paining", as per reports.
The judge earlier remanded Balaji to 14-day judicial custody from June 14.
On Wednesday, Madras High Court after seven hours of intense final arguments reserved the order in the Habeas Corpus petition. The plea was filed by the wife of Senthil Balaji's wife S Megala challenging his June 14 arrest by Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case in 2021. The case was heard by a division bench of justices Nisha Banu and Bharatha Chakravathy.
On June 24, the ED submitted a memo to the sessions court urging to withdraw its request for custodial interrogation since it was unable to question the Minister due to his health.
The ED arrested the Minister in connection with the cash-for-jobs scam in the state Transport Department in 2014-2015 during former CM Jayalalithaa's regime.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthil Balaji underwent Heart Coronary Artery Bypass surgery at Kauvery Hospital on June 21. Four bypass grafts were placed and coronary revascularization was established, as per the medical bulletin released by the hospital.
"The Minister is currently hemodynamically stable and being monitored in a postoperative cardiothoracic intensive care unit by a multidisciplinary team of doctors and nurses," it said.