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The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) on Wednesday morning launched simultaneous searches at six locations in Karur district in connection with close associates of former Tamil Nadu Minister Senthil Balaji.
According to officials, the searches commenced at around 7:00 a.m. today. A team of DVAC officials arrived at the native residence of Senthil Balaji in Rameswarapatti village, where they are currently conducting a search and questioning the former Minister's parents. Simultaneous searches are also underway at the residence of Subramani, an aide to Senthil Balaji, in Moorthipalayam, and the residence of DMK East Union Secretary Bhaskar in Koyampalli. The crackdown further extended to the apartments of two individuals, Karthik and Ramesh, located in Kothai Nagar, as well as the office of a TASMAC manager in the Industrial Estate area. Notably, the DVAC is also conducting a search at the residence of Karthik, who was previously arrested and later released on bail in connection with allegations of horse-trading aimed at toppling the TVK government. The case relates to a "horse-trading" row that began in Tamil Nadu after TVK MLA N Elaiyaraja claimed that he was offered Rs 35 crore and threatened to influence his vote in a legislative resolution, following which police registered a case and arrested three persons, officials said earlier. According to the complaint filed on June 29 with the Police Commissioner, Greater Chennai, Elaiyaraja stated that a person named Thirunavukkarasu contacted him and claimed to be running an opinion polling organisation called Indian Political Democratic Strategies (IPDS), saying he was reaching out at the request of members of a major political party. Further investigation, as per the complaint, revealed that V Ashok Kumar, brother of former DMK minister and current MLA for Coimbatore South V Senthil Balaji, had met the accused Naresh in Chennai. It was also stated that Thirunavukkarasu acted on instructions allegedly linked to V Senthil Balaji and V Ashok Kumar. The complainant alleged that Thirunavukkarasu asked the TVK MLA to vote in a particular manner during a proposed resolution against the Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly and offered him up to Rs 35 crore as inducement. On July 8, the Madras High Court granted conditional anticipatory bail to DMK MLA and former Tamil Nadu minister V Senthil Balaji and his brother R V Ashok Kumar in connection with the alleged Rs 35-crore bribery case linked to an alleged attempt to poach a Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) MLA. Justice G K Ilanthiraiyan passed the order directing both Senthil Balaji and Ashok Kumar to appear before the police daily as a condition of their anticipatory bail. After Senthil Balaji got bail, DMK advocate and Rajya Sabha MP NR Elango told ANI, "We have explained to the court that there is an inordinate delay in lodging the complaint. Though the alleged offer of the bribe was on June 26, the complaint was given only on June 29, and there was no explanation for the delay. These 2 days could have been and were used in fact, for the purpose of elaborating, putting the necessary ingredients of the offence in the FIR and foisting a case against them. This is a case where the offer was only to vote against the motion of the speaker and nothing to do with toppling the government. Today, the prosecution has omitted that word of toppling the government. That shows whatever we have put before the principal session judge has been realised by the police." (ANI)
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