V Senthil Balaji faces critical legal proceedings in a number of corruption circumstances.
Chennai:
Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi on Thursday took again a contentious order, the primary of its sort in latest reminiscence, saying the dismissal of Minister V Senthil Balaji from the Council of Ministers with out consulting Chief Minister MK Stalin amid a bitter standoff with the state’s DMK authorities, sources mentioned.
Mr Balaji, who was arrested two weeks in the past and is in jail amid legal proceedings in an alleged cash-for-jobs scandal, had been retained as a minister with out portfolio by Mr Stalin, a call that Governor Ravi had determined to unilaterally override.
In an official assertion, the Raj Bhavan mentioned Mr Balaji “is going through critical legal proceedings in a variety of circumstances of corruption, together with taking money for jobs and cash laundering.”
“Beneath these circumstances, the Governor has dismissed Senthil Balaji from the Council of Ministers with quick impact,” it mentioned.
Late evening, sources within the Governor’s workplace mentioned he was consulting the Legal professional Basic on the matter and the choice was on maintain. Mr Balaji will stay minister for now, they mentioned.
The Tamil Nadu authorities had deliberate to ignore the unique order and problem it within the Supreme Courtroom, sources mentioned.
Chatting with reporters, MK Stalin lashed out on the Governor, saying he doesn’t have the suitable to do dismiss the minister and his authorities will proceed legally within the matter. “Governor would not have the suitable (to dismiss a sitting minister) and we’ll face this legally,” he mentioned, in response to information company PTI.
DMK chief A Saravanan accused the Governor of undermining the Structure, saying that the order, dismissing Mr Balaji from the state’s council of ministers, is “not even definitely worth the paper it was drafted on”.
“Who does the Governor thinks he’s? Does he have the constitutional authority (to dismiss Senthil Balaji)? The Governor is undermining the structure. He’s catering to the Sanatan Dharma. The regulation of the land is not decided by the Sanatan Dharma. For a Governor, the structure must be the Bible, Gita, and Quran. He’s performing like a clown, making an attempt to appease his political masters. His order is not even definitely worth the paper it was drafted on. It should be consigned to the dustbin,” the DMK chief mentioned.
A court docket in Chennai on Wednesday prolonged the judicial custody of Mr Balaji, who was arrested by the nation’s financial-crime-fighting company Enforcement Directorate earlier this month, till July 12.
Hours earlier than that, the Supreme Courtroom had allowed him to be moved to a personal hospital, the place he underwent coronary heart surgical procedure. Earlier than that, he was being handled at a authorities hospital for complaints of uneasiness and chest ache.
The company, which arrested Mr Balaji in reference to an alleged cash-for-jobs rip-off within the state transport division, had moved the Supreme Courtroom towards a Madras Excessive Courtroom order. The excessive court docket had additionally allowed Mr Balaji to be shifted.
The connection between the DMK authorities and the Governor’s workplace has been tense for months, marked by disagreements over a number of points, most notably, the Governor’s refusal to assent to laws handed by the state meeting.
The DMK had final 12 months petitioned President Droupadi Murmu, alleging unconstitutional conduct by Governor Ravi and his failure to signal a considerable variety of payments handed by the Meeting.
The DMK argues {that a} Governor who turns into politically energetic should stop to carry workplace, particularly when their actions oppose the elected state authorities, deeming it a “constitutional perversion”.
Related friction has been reported in different states dominated by the opposition, together with West Bengal, Telangana, and Kerala. In these circumstances, the Governors or Lieutenant Governors have been accused of performing in a partisan method, allegedly on the occasion of the BJP-led central authorities.