Police weigh action against ex-minister Senthil Balaji after he skips summons in bribery case

Chennai, July 7 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu Police are considering their next course of action against former DMK minister V. Senthil Balaji and his brother Ashok Kumar after the duo failed to appear for questioning in connection with the alleged ₹35-crore bribery conspiracy involving a legislator of the TVK.

The case stems from allegations of an attempt to destabilise the C. Joseph Vijay-led government through inducements allegedly offered to ruling party MLAs.

The controversy erupted after State Minister Nirmal Kumar claimed that a conspiracy was underway to engineer defections from the ruling party by offering large sums of money to elected representatives.

Following the allegations, TVK MLA Dr. Ilayaraja, who represents the Uthangarai Assembly constituency in Krishnagiri district, lodged a complaint with the Chennai Police Commissioner.

In his complaint, the legislator alleged that he had been offered ₹35 crore to switch political allegiance.

Based on the complaint, the Triplicane Police registered a case and launched an investigation. During the probe, police arrested nine people, including Thirunavukkarasu, the owner of election polling agency IPTS.

Investigators claim that the accused were involved in negotiating the alleged ₹35-crore deal with the ruling party MLA.

According to police sources, those arrested allegedly told investigators that they acted on the advice of former minister Senthil Balaji and his brother Ashok Kumar while attempting to broker the deal.

Based on these statements, police issued summons to both Senthil Balaji and Ashok Kumar, directing them to appear for questioning on July 6.

Anticipating their appearance, journalists and photographers gathered outside the Triplicane Police Station on Monday.

However, neither Senthil Balaji nor Ashok Kumar appeared before investigators, despite the summons.

Police are now deliberating on the next legal steps against the brothers. Officials are considering whether to issue fresh summons or initiate stronger legal measures if they continue to remain unavailable for questioning.

As a precautionary measure, police have reportedly issued lookout notices at airports across the country to prevent the two from leaving India.

Investigators are also expected to intensify efforts to trace their whereabouts if they fail to cooperate with the investigation.

The alleged bribery case has triggered a major political controversy in Tamil Nadu, with the investigation now entering a crucial phase as police examine the alleged conspiracy to influence elected representatives and destabilise the State government.

–IANS

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