Chennai: TN Governor Withdraws Dismissal Order of Arrested Minister Senthil Balaji From Cabinet

Chennai: Within hours of Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi orders of dismissing with immediate effect jailed minister V Senthilbalaji, the order was evoked. 

Reacting to the dismissal order Chief Minister M K Stalin had said, the Governor does not have the power to sack a Minister and “we would face this legally”. 

Senthilbalaji was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in an alleged money laundering case last week and has since been hospitalised after a coronary bypass surgery. While reallocating his portfolios to two other Ministers, the Governor had said he “disagreed” with Stalin’s decision to retain Senthilbalaji as a Minister without portfolio. 

V Senthilbalaji is too hot to hold

On Thursday evening, the Raj Bhavan in a press release had said, “There are reasonable apprehensions that continuation of V Senthilbalaji in the Council of Ministers will adversely impact the due process of law including fair investigation that may eventually lead to breakdown of the Constitutional machinery in the State. Under these circumstances, Honourable Governor has dismissed V Senthilbalaji from the Council of Ministers with immediate effect.”

Serious Criminal proceedings

The Raj Bhavan said the Minister is facing serious criminal proceedings in a number of cases of corruption including taking cash for jobs and money laundering. “Abusing his official position as a Minister, he has been influencing the investigation and obstructing the due process of law and justice.”

Currently he is in judicial custody in a criminal case being investigated by the ED. “Some more criminal cases against him under Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code are being investigated by the State Police,” the Raj Bhavan said.