The Tamil Nadu minister complained to the prison authorities on Monday morning that he was experiencing difficulty breathing.
Balaji was taken to the hospital in a wheelchair and was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit in the early morning around 6.45 a.m.
Tamil Nadu minister Senthil Balaji, who was lodged in the Puzhal Central Prison in Chennai, was admitted to the Stanley Medical College and Hospital on the morning of Monday, 9 October, following a brief illness and was discharged by the afternoon.
Balaji, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in a job-racket case, has been in prison after he was remanded in judicial custody.
According to sources, Balaji was suffering from low blood pressure and was being treated for numbness in his leg in the prison hospital on Sunday night.
He complained to the prison authorities on Monday morning that he was experiencing difficulty breathing.
Following this, the medical officers of the prison hospital found variations in heartbeat and referred him to the Stanley Medical College and Hospital.
After the prison superintendent granted permission, Balaji was taken to the hospital amid high security. Balaji was taken into the hospital in a wheelchair and admitted to the Intensive Care Unit around 6.45 am.
A team of doctors performed various tests, including ECG, on Balaji. He was shifted back to the prison in the afternoon.
Sources in the Stanley Hospital said that since a coronary angiogram was performed on Balaji, he was given adequate medical care by the prison hospital and he was shifted on the complaints of difficulty in breathing.
“A few medicines have been prescribed to him, apart from his regular medicines,” added the source.
There were unconfirmed reports that the minister had fallen down in the prison during his sleep. However, the prison authorities refused to say anything about the condition in which Balaji was taken to the hospital.
Balaji, who was arrested by the ED on 14 June, underwent bypass surgery at the Kaveri Hospital in Chennai following the orders of the Madras High Court.
A month after his surgery, he was shifted to the Puzhal Central Prison where his health condition was monitored by the prison hospital authorities.
Balaji was served with a 3,000-page chargesheet by the ED. He was denied bail multiple times by the Principal Sessions Court and his judicial remand was extended seven times since his arrest.
It may be noted that Balaji was retained as minister without portfolio by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin in his Cabinet.
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