New Delhi:
Arrested Tamil Nadu Chief Minister V Senthil Balaji cannot be removed without the consent of the Chief Minister, the Supreme Court said today, dismissing a social activist's plea seeking his removal.
The Supreme Court's judgment was in line with the judgment of the Madras High Court, which said that the Chief Minister can decide whether Mr Balaji, a minister from the ruling DMK, should be re-elected as 'a minister without portfolio in the State Cabinet, has no sentence'.
“The Supreme Court was right to question whether the governor has the power to dismiss a minister and left it to the Chief Minister to decide whether the person concerned should continue as a minister,” said Abhay Shreeniwas Oka, judge at the Supreme Court, today.
“We don't think there is any room for interference in this. We agree with the view of the Madras High Court and no interference is required,” the Supreme Court said.
Social activist ML Ravi has challenged the Madras High Court's decision that Balaji can continue as a minister in the Tamil Nadu government despite his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case.
The minister enjoys the benefits and allowances funded by public money, and a person in custody cannot do official work, the petitioner said, explaining why Mr Balaji should be removed.
Mr Balaji was arrested on June 14 last year in a money laundering case initiated by the ED on the basis of a cash-for-work case filed by the Central Crime Branch police in Chennai, when he was the Transport Minister during the previous AIADMK regime.
In early August, missing valuables worth over Rs 16 lakh and Rs 22 lakh in cash were reportedly recovered from a driver's house after fresh searches were conducted against Mr Balaji and others in connection with the money laundering probe of money.