CHENNAI, JUNE 30
Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi’s communication to Chief Minister MK Stalin asking him to keep in abeyance his (Ravi’s) earlier decision to sack Minister Senthil Balaji with immediate effect was due to advice from the Union Home Minister, says a Raj Bhavan letter on Thursday.
In a late evening communication to the chief minister, the governor said he would consult the attorney general and seek his legal opinion about the move.
The order to dismiss Balaji from the Council of Ministers has been kept in abeyance by the governor until further communication, the statement added.
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The letter stated, “I have been advised by the Hon’ble Union Minister of Home Affairs that it would be prudent to seek the opinion of the Attorney General also. Accordingly, I am approaching the Attorney-General for his opinion. Meanwhile, the order of dismissal of the minister Thiru V.Senthil Balaji may be kept in abeyance until further communication from me.”
Earlier, the governor had dismissed Balaji from the Council of Ministers, days after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in an alleged cash-for-jobs scam.
Stalin had said the state government would challenge the governor’s decision legally.
In an official release, the Raj Bhavan in Chennai had said, “There are reasonable apprehensions that the continuation of V Senthil Balaji in the Council of Ministers will adversely impact the due process of law, including fair investigation that may eventually lead to the breakdown of constitutional machinery in the state.” Balaji “is facing serious criminal proceedings in a number of cases of corruption, including taking cash for jobs and money laundering. Abusing his position as a minister, he has been influencing the investigation and obstructing the due process of law and justice,” the release added.
