The Madras High Court on Thursday, October 19, dismissed the bail petition of Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthil Balaji. Justice G Jayachandran dismissed his plea seeking bail on medical grounds. The Minister had contended that he needed to undergo continuous physiotherapy as part of his treatment. He also said that he was suffering from persistent numbness since the surgery, which was progressing each day.

Senthil Balaji was arrested in June this year by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case. His bail plea was earlier dismissed by the District Sessions Court following which he moved the HC. The lower court highlighted that allegations against him are "categorical" and noted that he has a "definite role" in the commission of offence charged against him.

Senthil Balaji is lodged in Puzhal Central Prison after being arrested by the ED in the job-for-cash scam while he was serving as a minister during the previous All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government. During his arrest, he complained of chest pain and was taken to Omandurar government hospital and was subsequently allowed to be shifted to Kauvery hospital where he underwent a bypass surgery. He was shifted to the prison following the surgery, where he was classified as an ‘A’ class prisoner, and his health was also being closely monitored by the doctors at the prison.

On October 9, the minister was admitted to the Government Stanley Medical College Hospital in Chennai after he complained of chest pain. The doctors diagnosed him with lacunar stroke symptoms and dyslipidemia. In his appeal to the HC the minister sought for better treatment at a hospital of choice for recovering from his surgery.

Additional Solicitor General ARL Sundaresan had opposed the bail petition highlighting that according to the minister’s health records, he required ‘conservation medical management’ but it did not mention that the treatment cannot be directly accessed in the prison hospital. Sundaresan also argued that Balaji had an influence that could tamper with the evidence and derail the ongoing investigation by ED if he got a bail. 

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