CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister Senthil Balaji, who has been arrested in connection with a cash-for-jobs case, has been assigned inmate number 001440 of the Puzhal prison. He was earlier remanded to judicial custody on Wednesday.
Balaji was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). He has been hospitalised after complaining of chest pain.
The case pertains to allegations that Balaji had received bribes from various persons for appointing them as drivers and conductors when he was the transport minister in the AIADMK government, led by the late J Jayalalithaa, between 2011 and 2015.
The minister, who was secured by Central Reserve Police Force, is now placed under the security of jail authorities. Jail officials took over the responsibility of his security around 10 pm last night, while paramilitary security was immediately withdrawn.
After being taken into judicial custody, there have been restrictions on visiting him. Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments minister P K Sekar Babu who tried to visit Balaji was denied permission.
However, Tamil Nadu State Human Rights Commission (TNSHRC) member V Kannadasan on Thursday met the arrested state minister in the hospital and said the latter had told him he was "treated badly" by the ED officials who had arrested him on June 14.
Citing his meeting with Balaji, Kannadasan stated the minister said he was "treated badly" by ED officials during his arrest. "He said he was dragged and suffered an injury in his head," Kannadasan said. He said he visited the hospital based on both reports and complaints.
However, only the doctors can confirm the injuries said to have been suffered by Balaji, the state Electricity and Excise and Prohibition minister. The TNSHRC will look into the matter, he added.
The opposition AIADMK took exception to Kannadasan's visit to the government hospital to meet Balaji, claiming he had spoken in favour of the ruling DMK in the past in TV debates.
Meanwhile, senior AIADMK leader and former MLA, IS Inbadurai, took exception to Kannadasan's meeting with Balaji, saying he had in the past appeared in TV debates and spoken in favour of the DMK.
Speaking to reporters here, he claimed the report that Kannadasan would file on the matter will be "fake."
Saying that Kannadasan's appointment itself was "wrong," he said, "we will separately question that."
Kannadasan's possible report is like "one judging one's own case," Inbadurai, an advocate, said.
He, however, said he was not opposed to the TNSHRC intervening in the matter.
(With additional inputs from PTI)