Justice C.V. Karthikeyan, the third judge named by Madras High Court Chief Justice S.V. Gangapurwala to hear a habeas corpus petition related to arrested Minister V. Senthilbalaji following a split verdict delivered by two judges of a Division Bench, on Friday framed three crucial questions to be answered by him after hearing arguments on July 11 and 12.
The three questions were: Whether the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) is authorised to subject an accused person in a money-laundering case to custodial interrogation? Whether the habeas corpus petition filed by the Minister’s wife Megala is maintainable? Whether the ED can subject the Minister to custodial interrogation even after expiry of 15 days from arrest?
The questions were framed after Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, representing the ED, and senior counsel N.R. Elango, appearing on behalf of the habeas corpus petitioner, submitted before the court separate tabulations listing the points on which Justices J. Nisha Banu and D. Bharatha Chakravarthy of the Division Bench had differed on July 4.
