Supreme Court Asks Senthil Balaji To Submit Latest Medical Reports, Next Hearing On Bail Plea To Be On 28 November

Hearing the bail plea filed by Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) minister Senthil Balaji, a Supreme Court bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and SC Sharma today (20 November) asked him to submit his latest medical reports.

According to a report by PTI, representing Balaji, Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi said that he was suffering from multiple ailments and a brain MRI showed that he could suffer a stroke if he was not treated.

The bench said that the it did not appear to be very serious and is an old problem. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta too said that these were old and chronic issues, stated the report.

The matter was posted to 28 November.

Balaji, who is currently admitted to the state government run Omandurar Hospital in Chennai, had filed the plea on medical grounds.

His plea before the Madras High Court on similar grounds was rejected by Justice G Jayachandran, who held that his medical condition was not such that he could not be treated by doctors at the prison hospital.

He had also mentioned reasons such as his continuation as a minister, his brother Ashok Kumar continuing to abscond and the attack on Income Tax officials when they had come to carry out searches.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had opposed his bail plea stating that if released he could tamper with evidence and influence witnesses.

Balaji's judicial custody ends on 22 November. Following his arrest by the ED on 14 June in connection with the cash-for-jobs scam during his tenure as Transport minister, he underwent a bypass surgery at the Kauvery Hospital.