Tamil Nadu Power Minister V Senthil Balaji, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the wee hours on June 14, has been advised to undergo early Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery (CABG) by doctors of Kauvery Hospital in Chennai. Balaji was arrested by ED in connection with a money laundering case and is in judicial custody till June 28.
"He was assessed by our team of experts doctors led by Dr A R Raghuram, Senior Consultant Cardio Thoracic Surgeon, who has advised early Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery (CABG). He is undergoing further tests to assess fitness for anesthesia and based on the assessment, the surgery will be planned," read the statement issued by the hospital authorities.
"He is currently being treated in ICU with cardiac monitoring and being looked after by a multidisciplinary team of doctors and nurses," the statement further read.
Following a court relief, Balaji was shifted to the Kauvery Main Hospital on Thursday from a government facility in Chennai.
A division bench of Justices J Nisha Banu and D Bharatha Chakravarthy of the Madras High Court, which was hearing a habeas corpus petition filed by Balaji's wife, gave the interim order, reported PTI.
The court said Balaji will continue to remain in judicial custody and allowed the ED to have its own team of doctors also to examine the minister.
"It is open to the respondents/ Enforcement Directorate, themselves to determine the Specialist panel, who can also examine the detenu and his condition as well as the treatment, which he undergoes at the Cauvery Hospital. Therefore, we direct that the detenu be shifted to Cauvery Hospital, Chennai, for undergoing the emergency treatment as mentioned in the Medical Bulletin of the Omandurar Government MultiSpeciality Hospital, Chennai, dated June 14, 2023," the court said.
Senthil Balaji was arrested in a money laundering case that took place during AIADMK rule. Balaji was named as an accused in the scam that reportedly took place between 2011 and 2015. He was the Transport Minister of Tamil Nadu in late former CM Jayalalithaa's cabinet.