Madras HC reserves orders on Senthil Balaji’s cabinet position

The Madras High Court has reserved its judgement on petitions regarding the continuance of Minister V Senthil Balaji in the Tamil Nadu Cabinet, despite his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), and the halted decision by Governor R N Ravi to dismiss him from the Council of Ministers.
The first bench, consisting of Chief Justice S V Gangapurwala and Justice P D Audikesavalu, postponed their decision on the cases submitted by advocate M L Ravi, Ramakrishnan, and former AIADMK MP J Jayavardhan. The court had asked both parties to submit written representations earlier on July 29, which the petitioners and the State government have since provided.
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) submitted by the advocate requests a directive to overturn the Tamil Nadu Governor’s order to dismiss Senthil Balaji, and the subsequent decision to delay the dismissal. Two additional writ petitions question the legal grounds of Senthil Balaji’s continued service as a Minister.
V Senthil Balaji was arrested by the ED in a money laundering case on June 14, 2023. He remains a Minister without a portfolio and is currently held in judicial custody at the Puzhal central prison. His arrest follows an investigation into alleged bribes paid in 2017 by job applicants seeking employment in state-run transport corporations.
On July 28, Advocate General R Shanmughasundaram contended that the Governor cannot unilaterally decide to remove Senthil Balaji from the Council of Ministers. Earlier on June 29, Governor Ravi dismissed Minister Senthil Balaji from the Cabinet, only to suspend the extraordinary order within hours.