Chennai: Tamil Nadu Minister V.Senthilbalaji, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case, on Wednesday underwent a bypass surgery at Kauvery hospital in the city.
A Medical Bulletin issue by Kauvery Group of Hospitals Co-Founder and Executive Director Dr Aravindan Selvaraj said “Tamil Nadu Minister Mr Senthilbalaji underwent Beating Heart Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery by Dr.A.R.Raghuram, Senior Consultant Cardio Thoracic Surgeon and his team today morning”.
He said “four bypass grafts were placed and coronary revascularization was established. He is currently hemodynamically stable and being monitored in the postoperative cardiothoracic intensive care unit by the multidisciplinary team of doctors and nursess”.
Meanwhile, talking to reporters, the surgery was performed today and Mr Senthilbalaji was being monitored in the ICU by a team of doctors.
He said doctors will decide on how long he would be under treatment at the hospital.
The Minister was arrested early morning on Wednesday last by the ED after 17 hour long raids at his Official residence and at his Chamber in the State Secretariat and remanded in judicial custody till June 28.
While being taken in a car to the ED office for interrogation, the Minister complained of chest pain and was rushed to the Omandurar Government Multi super-speciality Hospital where an angiogram revealed 3 blocks in his blood vessels and doctors advised a bypass surgery at the earliest.
He was later shifted to the Kauvery hospital on the orders of the Madras High Court.
On a habeas corpus petition filed by his wife seeking a direction to shift him to Kauvery hospital, where he been regularly taking treatment prior to his arrest, the court allowed it after which he was shifted to the private hospital.
After undergoing mandatory tests, Mr Senthilbalaji, who is presently under ED custody, is scheduled to undergo bypass surgery tomorrow.
On a petition filed by the ED seeking 15 days custody, a Principal Sessions Court, while dismissing the bail plea of the Minister and the one seeking to cancel his judicial custody, granted eight days custody to the ED for questioning and directed it to produce him before the court by 3.00 p.m. on June 23 via video-conferencing.
In the meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Governor R.N.Ravi, while allocating the portfolios held by him to Ministers Thangam Thennarasu and S.Muthusamy on the recommendations of Chief Minister M.K.Stalin, however, disagreed with Mr Senthilbalaji’s continuance in the State Cabinet as he was facing criminal proceedings.
The Opposition parties in the State also demanded that he should be removed from the Cabinet. However, the Tamil Nadu government issued an order stating that he would continue to remain in the State Cabinet as a Minister without portfolio.
