On Friday, the Supreme Court demanded a response from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to petitions filed by Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthil Balaji and his wife, Megala. They are challenging the July 14 order from the Madras High Court which supported Balaji’s arrest by the ED in connection with a money laundering case. The hearing is scheduled for July 26.
Both Balaji and his wife have submitted separate appeals to the apex court, disputing the high court’s decision. Balaji’s arrest, his subsequent judicial custody approved by a sessions court, and his alleged involvement in a cash-for-jobs scheme within the transport department during his tenure as Transport Minister, were all upheld by the high court.
Balaji remains in the Tamil Nadu cabinet as a minister without portfolio. Justice C V Karthikeyan, appointed by the high court as the third judge to hear the habeas corpus petition of Balaji’s wife following a split verdict, sided with Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy’s decision to uphold the minister’s arrest.
