The Enforcement Directorate (ED) raided Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister V Senthil Balaji's residence and arrested him in a money laundering case on Wednesday.
After a protracted investigation into a cash-for-jobs scheme under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the minister was detained.
The minister was present when the ED began its raids at his home exactly 24 hours prior.
When the minister learned that the investigation agency would be arresting him at 1.30 am, he complained of chest trouble and was taken to Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Specialty Hospital in Chennai where doctors advised him to undergo bypass surgery at the earliest.
Following his unexpected arrest on Wednesday, Balaji's wife, S Megala, reportedly filed a habeas corpus petition before the Madras High Court.
The charges against Balaji were of that period when he was the transport minister during the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) regime from 2011–16.
On the arrest of the DMK minister, MK Stalin, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, immediately denounced the raid and the detention.
"In the ten years before the BJP took office, the ED only carried out 112 searches; however, since the BJP has taken office, the ED has carried out 3,000 raids on people who disagree with them.
MK Stalin, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, stated that only 0.05% of the cases were proven.
He also issued a warning to the BJP following Balaji's allegations of physical and mental abuse by ED agents, which put him in the hospital.
The BJP is employing the same script with various dubbing in various states, according to CM Stalin, but there won't be any IT, CBI, or EB raids in UP, MP, or Gujarat because the BJP is in power there.
In response to a petition filed by the DMK in the Madras High Court, seeking the transfer of Balaji to a private hospital for surgery, the court granted permission on Thursday.
As a result, Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthil Balaji, who was admitted to the Government Hospital following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on June 14, has been now shifted to the private Kauvery Hospital in Chennai.
The High Court also granted permission for the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to establish its own panel of doctors to conduct an examination of the minister.
