TN Minister Senthil Balaji Approaches Supreme Court Against Madras HC Order Allowing ED Custody

Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthil Balaji has approached the Supreme Court challenging the Madras High Court's judgment holding that the Directorate of Enforcement is entitled to take him into custody in connection with the cash-for-jobs scam.

As per the details available in the Supreme Court website, Balaji's special leave petition was filed at 3.35 PM on July 17.  Last Friday (July 14), the third judge of the Madras High Court had ruled in favour of the ED, holding that the central agency is entitled to seek police custody of an accused in a money laundering case. The matter was referred to the third judge Justice CV Karthikeyan following a split in the division bench of Justices Nisha Banu and Bharatha Chakravarthy.  Deciding a habeas corpus petition filed by Balaji's wife Megala, Justice Banu had held that Enforcement Directorate is not entrusted with the powers to seek police custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Differing from this opinion, Justice Bharatha Chakravarthy had held that the Habeas Corpus Petition is not maintainable and the ED was entitled to police custody of the accused.