Madras HC orders Senthil Balaji to be shifted to private hospital
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Tamil Nadu minister Senthil Balaji, who was arrested yesterday after a raid by ED, will be shifted to a private hospital due to a Madras High Court order.
He will be moved to Kauvery Hospital at his own cost and the high court has permitted ED-appointed doctors to visit him. He was diagnosed with a triple-vessel disease during his medical check-up and doctors advised a bypass surgery.
The Enforcement Directorate arrested him in a money laundering case dating back to 2015 when he was the transport minister in the former chief minister J Jayalalithaa's (AIADMK) cabinet. The central investigation agency also sought a two-week judicial custody and opposed bail saying he could hamper or destroy evidence.
Chief Minister MK Stalin called the 18-hour search and interrogation in a 10-year-old case "an unannounced emergency" that "triggered a heart disease" for Balaji. "Don't provoke us. If you provoke the DMK cadre, you'll not be able to bear it. This is not intimidation, but a word of caution. The BJP should stop its dictatorial action and understand its responsibility to govern the union," he said.