Supreme Court issues notice on pleas challenging arrest of TN Minister Senthil Balaji

A bench of Justices A.S. Bopanna and M.M. Sundresh agreed to examine the matter and sought response of the Enforcement Directorate on the pleas

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice on the petitions filed by arrested Tamil Nadu Minister V. Senthil Balaji and his wife against the Madras High Court’s decision upholding the ED’s right to take the DMK leader into custody in connection with an alleged cash for jobs scandal.

A bench of Justices A.S. Bopanna and M.M. Sundresh agreed to examine the matter and sought response of the Enforcement Directorate on the pleas.

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However, it declined to pass any interim relief in the matter and told senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Balaji, that nothing will happen as he sought interim protection from police custody.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the ED, submitted that the central probe agency can make arrests under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002. The top court said that it will continue to hear the matter on July 26 at 2 PM.

On Thursday, CJI D.Y. Chandrachud had directed listing of the pleas on Friday after Sibal mentioned the matter for urgent listing. He apprised the apex court that Balaji may be taken into police custody anytime and if the matter is not heard immediately, the petitions will become infructuous.

The minister and his wife have approached the top court of the country after a bench of Justice C.V. Karthikeyan of the high court, the third judge to whom the matter was referred, gave its ruling that the central agency has the right to arrest the legislator. It had said that if the agency can arrest, they can also seek custody as well.

The ED has also filed another petition before the top court challenging some observations made by the high court in its order. The habeas corpus petition challenging arrest of Balaji by the ED was heard by a three-judge bench on directions of the Supreme Court after a split verdict was pronounced by a division bench on the plea moved by his wife.

In a split verdict delivered on July 4, Justice J. Nisha Banu termed the arrest of the minister illegal and ordered him to be set free with immediate effect, while Justice D. Bharatha Chakravarthy differed on the question of his ‘illegal’ detention. S. Megala, the wife of the arrested minister had moved a petition before the high court assailing her husband’s arrest by the ED in connection with a cash-for-jobs scam that allegedly occurred during his tenure as the Transport Minister from 2011 to 2016 in the then AIADMK government.

In an interim direction passed on June 15, the High Court had ordered to transfer the minister from a government hospital where he was under the custody of ED officials to a private hospital. The ED had filed an appeal before the Supreme Court challenging this.