Judge stands firm on Senthil Balaji's arrest, refuses to review and demands his release
- In Reports
- 04:17 PM, Jul 26, 2023
- Myind Staff
A division bench of the Madras High Court refused to set a date for the custody of Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji, following a split verdict on his arrest. One of the judges, Justice Nisha Banu, reiterated her previous position that the arrest was illegal and that the minister should be released immediately. She stated that she would not reconsider her decision and that the Supreme Court would decide on the appeals filed by the minister.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued that the only purpose of sending the case back to the bench was to determine the custody date, but Justice Nisha Banu stood by her judgment to release the minister. The division bench, comprised of Justices Nisha Banu and D Bharatha Chakravarthy, stated that the appeals against the order were pending before the Supreme Court, rendering the custody date decision unnecessary.
Initially, the question of the minister’s arrest by the Enforcement Directorate was referred to a third judge, Justice C V Karthikeyan, due to the division bench’s inability to reach a consensus and deliver a split verdict. On July 14, Justice Karthikeyan agreed with Justice Bharatha Chakravarthy and confirmed the validity of the arrest. However, he left the decision regarding the minister’s detention open for the division bench to determine the duration of custody.
Meanwhile, Senthil Balaji was discharged from Kauvery Hospital and transferred to Puzhal prison hospital.
During the hearing before the division bench, senior advocate N R Elango, representing the minister’s wife, suggested that the matter be argued before the Supreme Court. The bench agreed, stating that the Supreme Court would decide the further course of action, and subsequently closed the petition.
On June 14, the minister was arrested by the ED in connection with a cash-for-job case registered in 2015. Following his arrest, he was admitted to Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super-Speciality Hospital and later underwent a bypass surgery at Kauvery Hospital.
On July 4, Justice Nisha Banu allowed the plea filed by the minister’s wife, Megala, while Justice Bharatha Chakravarthy dismissed it.
Image source: BT
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