On Thursday, June 29, Tamil Nadu Governor, RN Ravi, dismissed jailed DMK leader, V Senthil Balaji, from the Council of Ministers with immediate effect. Balaji was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on June 14 in a cash-for-jobs scam case.
A release issued by the Tamil Nadu Raj Bhavan stated, “Minister V Senthil Balaji is facing serious criminal proceedings in a number of cases of corruption including taking cash for jobs and money laundering. Under these circumstances, Governor has dismissed him from the Council of Ministers with immediate effect”.
“Abusing his position as a Minister, he has been influencing the investigation and obstructing the due process of law and justice. He is in judicial custody in a criminal case being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate. Some more criminal cases against him under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal codes are being investigated by the State Police”, the release further added.