Enforcement Directorate has not updated its website on the searches as well as the arrest of Tamil Nadu minister Senthil Balaji in the early hours of Wednesday. The agency while updating on the developments till June 15 in its website has ignored the searches it has conducted on Tuesday in the state as well as judicial remand of Balaji, who is undergoing treatment at Kauvery Hospital here.
While ED officials are tight-lipped over the developments in Tamil Nadu pertaining to Senthil Balaji, the agency last month was quick to provide a press release over attaching various immovable properties across Tamil Nadu, on May 25 valued at Rs 36.3 Crore and also attachment of Rs 34.7 lakh available in the bank account of Udhayanidhi Stalin Foundation in a money laundering case in its website.
The agency has also not recorded the local court granting the Enforcement Directorate (ED) eight days custody of Balaji. There have been no press conferences in New Delhi but just some leaks in the media of summons being issued to Balaji's brother, close aides and relatives. While the ED has got custody of Balaji, there is also no sign of Enforcement Directorate officials till Saturday evening visiting Balaji at Kauvery Hospital despite getting his custody.
Even the Enforcement Directorate office in Chennai hardly reacted to insinuations put forth by the state government that Balaji was tortured by Enforcement Directorate officials after forcing him to undergo a 17 hour ordeal in his home before being arrested. As the state highlighted that Balaji was tortured by officials and preparing a strong case against the Central agency for human rights violations, there has been an uneasy calm over the issue by ED.
Until ED does not come out with the truth on what spurred the 2am arrest, the doubts would be placed on the conduct of officials in taking custody of Senthil Balaji, against whom the Supreme court has directed the Enforcement Directorate to proceed with investigations.
The Supreme Court, on May 16, refused to discharge Balaji in the cash-for-jobs scam and set aside a 2022 Madras High Court order for a fresh investigation against the minister and others in the case. The high court order had nullified a Supreme Court judgment of September 8, 2022, which had restored the criminal case against the minister. The Supreme Court has granted the state police two months’ time to complete the investigation and submit the final report. It also directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to continue its probe into the charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
After being assigned inmate number 001440 by Puzhal prison after Balaji was remanded to judicial custody by the court, the minister was placed under the security of jail authorities on Wednesday. And later he was granted custody to the Enforcement Directorate on Friday. The minister requires a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), a heart bypass surgery. as three blocks were diagnosed in his heart. The court has allowed ED to constitute a medical team of its choice to monitor the treatment and conditions of the minister. However, ED has yet to constitute a team.
The state government officials have said that they are unaware of when the team would visit the hospital. Meanwhile, it is unclear when the bypass surgery would be performed on Balaji at Kauvery Hospital.
The case against Balaji pertains to allegations that Balaji had received huge amounts as bribes from various persons for appointing them as drivers and conductors when he was the transport minister in the AIADMK government, led by the late J Jayalalithaa, between 2011 and 2015.
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