In a move that is set to escalate the continuing acrimony between the MK Stalin-led DMK government and the Raj Bhavan, Governor RN Ravi on Thursday sacked jailed minister V Senthil Balaji from the Council of Ministers. The decision was announced by the Governor’s office without any consultation with the Chief Minister.
“Balaji is facing serious criminal proceedings in a number of cases of corruption, including taking cash for jobs and money laundering. Abusing his position as a minister, he has been influencing the investigation and obstructing the due process of law and justice,” the Raj Bhavan said in an official release.
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Balaji is currently in custody in a criminal case and faces several cases of corruption including cash-for-jobs and money laundering. Notably, the DMK government had decided to retain him as a minister without portfolio despite his arrest. Governor Ravi’s action today effectively overrides that decision by the government.
“There are reasonable apprehensions that continuation of V Senthil Balaji in the Council of Ministers will adversely impact the due process of law, including fair investigation that may eventually lead to breakdown of Constitutional machinery in the State,” the Raj Bhavan release added.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court allowed Balaji to be moved to a private hospital in Chennai, refusing to stay a similar order by the Madras High Court. Balaji is currently undergoing treatment following a bypass surgery he underwent on June 21.
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Balaji was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in an alleged cash-for-jobs scam in the state transport department on June 14. Balaji’s wife Megala has moved a habeas corpus plea in the Madras High Court seeking to declare her husband’s arrest by the ED as illegal. The matter was heard by the court on Tuesday. A bench of Justices J Nisha Banu and D Bharatha Chakravarthy reserved the order after a marathon hearing.
Balaji’s arrest pertains to a case dating back to 2014 when he was transport minister under the previous All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) regime. He joined the DMK in 2018.
Notably, relations between the DMK government and the Governor’s office have remained tense for months over repeated disagreements on issues, including the Governor’s refusal to approve legislation passed by the state assembly.
In 2022, the DMK had approached President Droupadi Murmu accusing the Governor of “unconstitutional conduct” and deliberately blocking several bills passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly.