ED searches Senthil Balaji's office at TN secretariat, his home

CHENNAI: After days of search operations by the income tax department, central agencies' investigation into the assets of Tamil Nadu excise minister Senthil Balaji reached the state secretariat on Tuesday when the Enforcement Directorate (ED) searched his office and official residence. The raid prompted chief minister M K Stalin to question the motive. Stalin said the "unwarranted" searches came two days after Union home minister Amit Shah's visit to Tamil Nadu and were detrimental to federal principles.
This is the second time a team of central agency personnel, guarded by central armed police force (CAPF) men, has entered the secretariat. In 2016, the office of then chief secretary Rama Mohana Rao was searched by the income tax officials with CAPF security. The search was based on the Supreme Court's directions to the ED to carry on its probe into the cash-for-job scam in the transport department when Balaji was transport minister in the AIADMK government.
Will cooperate with officials: Senthil Balaji
According to ED sources, the search action was based on the Supreme Court directions to the central agency to continue their investigation into the cash-for-job scam in the state transport department when Senthil Balaji was the transport minister during the previous AIADMK government.
The Supreme Court set aside a Madras high court order of October 31, 2022, directing fresh investigation against Senthil Balaji.
When the ED commenced its searches at the minister's residence on Greenways Road, Senthil Balaji, who was out for his morning walk, told reporters that he would cooperate with the officers and that he was ready to give explanation for any material seized by officials.
Later in the day, when DMK functionaries including the party's organising secretary R S Bharathi, tried to meet Senthil Balaji at his residence, they were denied entry.
At Karur, six groups of ED personnel held searches at six various places, including the house of the parents of Senthil Balaji at Rameswarapatti. Another team conducted the searches at his brother V Ashok Kumar's house in Ramakrishnapuram located in Karur city. Auditor Sathishkumar's house at Senkunthapuram and that of Shanmugam, a computer operator who worked at the office of Senthil Balaji when he was transport minister during the AIADMK regime were also the targets of the ED authorities on Tuesday.
At all locations, the ED sleuths were guarded by the CAPF personnel, while the state's Rapid Action Force personnel also stood guard.
The searches continued till evening, in contrast to I-T searches in Chennai, Karur and Coimbatore a couple of weeks back, when Balaji's supporters had obstructed the operation.