ED takes Senthilbalaji from Puzhal prison for 5 day grilling

CHENNAI: The sleuths from the Enfrocement Directroate on Monday evening took the custody of TN minister Senthilbalaji for five days custody. He was taken to the the ED office at Sastry Bhavan on Haddows Road in Nungambakkam.

Earlier in the day following the Supreme Court's order, the Sessions Court Chennai has remanded Minister Senthilbalaji to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody till August 12.

After the Supreme Court's judgment that ED can subjugate Senthilbalaji to custody, the ED has filed a petition before a Sessions court in Chennai seeking to custody of Senthilbalaji,a TN minister without portfolio, who was in judicial custody at Puzhal prison.

Jailed Senthilbalaji was produced before the Sessions court principal judge S Alli, through video conferencing from Puzhal prison. The counsel for Senthilbalaji sought permission to allow Senthilbalaji to undergo treatment at the Kauvery Hospital twice a day during ED custody. Objecting to this, the counsel for ED said that the Supreme Court has directed the ED to take care of the health condition and medical treatment for Senthilbalaji.

Subsequently, the judge ordered the Superintendent of Puzhal prison to hand over Senthilbalaji to the ED and refused to entertain Senthilbalaji counsel's request.

ED had arrested the minister on June 14 in connection with the their investigation into the cash-for-job scam in the state transport department when Senthil Balaji was the minister for the department during the previous AIADMK government.

After the arrest he underwent a by-pass surgery and had been fighting a legal battle resisting custodial interrogation by ED.