Senthil Balaji’s arrest by ED, judicial custody legal
The Madras High Court on Friday held that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had the right to subjugate minister Senthilbalaji into police custody under PMLA act in the cash for jobs scam case after hearing the Habeas Corpus Petition (HCP) filed by Senthilbalaji’s wife Megala.
Justice CV Karthikeyan, who was named as the third judge to hear the HCP after the split verdict given by a division bench, pronounced his final orders coinciding with the legal views taken by Justice Bharatha Chakravarthy.
The judge opined that ED has the powers to arrest Senthilbalaji in this case.
He further observed that the HCP is not maintainable and can’t be entertained, as judicial custody given by the session’s juge and ED arrest are legal.
The court also observed that the period of hospitalisation can be excluded from the custodial period for the purpose of interrogation, however, the judge insisted that the division bench to determine the period when such custody can be taken by the ED.