The staff of the Principal District Sessions Court on June 17 served the order of custodial interrogation on Minister V. Senthilbalaji, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in an alleged money-laundering case and is undergoing treatment at Kauvery Hospital, Alwarpet.
On Friday, the court permitted the ED to conduct custodial interrogation of Mr. Senthilbalaji for eight days (until June 23). It also imposed eight conditions on the ED for the interrogation. The court stipulated that the Deputy Director of the ED should not remove Mr. Senthilbalaji from Kauvery Hospital and should interrogate him at the same place by taking into consideration his ailments and the treatment given to him after obtaining the opinion of doctors treating him on his fitness for interrogation.
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Sources said that when the court staff went to serve the order on Friday night, Mr. Senthilbalaji was reportedly drowsy because of medication. They returned without serving it. They went again on Saturday, served the order and obtained his signature. However, the ED officer did not come for interrogation till Saturday night. The city police deployed its personnel around the hospital.