CHENNAI: The judicial custody of Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthil Balaji, who is currently locked up in Central Prison, Puzhal, has been extended till August 8 by the principal sessions court in Chennai.
S Alli, the principal sessions judge, passed the orders on Wednesday as his custody period was to end. The Minister was produced before the court through video conferencing from the Central Prison, Puzhal.
Senthil Balaji was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on June 14 after holding a marathon search at his official residence regarding laundering of money acquired through the cash-for-jobs scam.
After developing chest pain he was admitted to the Govt Multi-Specialty Hospital at Omandurar Estate from where he was shifted to a private hospital for bypass surgery following an interim order of the High Court.
The two-judge division bench of the High Court delivered a split verdict on the legality of his arrest with one judge holding arrest illegal and directing immediate release while another judge ruling the arrest legal and favouring the ED of taking him into custody for interrogation. When the matter was referred to a third judge, he concurred with the order holding arrest legal.