Governor of Tamil Nadu RN Ravi has made the decision to temporarily halt the removal of state minister V Senthil Balaji. He detailed the rationale for his action in a letter to Chief Minister MK Stalin.
He added that the Union Minister for Home Affairs had informed him that it would be wise to seek the Attorney General’s advice on the matter in a late-night communication to the chief minister.
The dismissal of Senthil Balaji was ordered to be put on ‘abeyance’ pending further correspondence from him, he wrote.
The governor had removed Balaji from the Council of Ministers earlier on Thursday evening, days following his detention by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with an alleged cash-for-jobs scheme. The Governor has no authority, according to MK Stalin, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, who responded to the development. We’ll deal with this legally.
The Governor had earlier written to the CM stating, ‘In the instant case your (CM MK Stalin) advice or to put it more appropriately your insistence to retain Thiru V. Senthil Balaji against my advice as a member of the Council of Ministers reflects your unhealthy bias.’
‘There are reasonable apprehensions that continuation of Thiru V.Senthil Balaji as a Minister will continue to obstruct the due process of law and disrupt the course of Justice. Such a situation may eventually lead to breakdown of the Constitutional machinery in the State,’ he said
‘Under such circumstances and the powers conferred to me under Articles 154, 163 and 164 of the Constitution of India, I hereby dismiss Thiru V.Senthil Balaji from the Council of Ministers with immediate effect,’ he said.
Days before to the Governor’s action, the Tamil Nadu government announced that Balaji would continue serving as a state cabinet minister but would not hold any portfolios.
According to the Tamil Nadu government, Balaji’s portfolio for electricity was assigned to Finance Minister Thangam Thennarasu, while the portfolio for prohibition and excise was given to Minister Muthusamy for housing and urban development.
The judicial custody of Balaji was extended by a Chennai court on Wednesday until July 12. The minister used a video conference to appear before Principal Sessions court judge S Alli while recuperating from bypass surgery at Kauvery hospital.
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