TN Minister Ponmudi released from ED custody, questioning to continue today

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister, K. Ponmudi was on Tuesday released from the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

However, the Minister will again have to appear before the ED sleuths for questioning at 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

The senior DMK leader was taken into custody on Monday for questioning in a case related to the sanctioning of quarry licenses to his son and few others illegally during 2006-2011 when he was the Minister for Mines.

The ED conducted raids in nine places associated with the Minister and his associates, including his son Gautam Shikamani who is also an MP.

The raids continued for 13 hours on Monday following which the ED took Ponmudi and Gautam into custody.

The ED raids and subsequent custody of Ponmudi came as a shock to the ruling DMK.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had said the searches was only to divert attention from the two-day opposition meeting in Bengaluru which began on Monday evening.

Stalin also said that the DMK will take legal action.

Ponmudi is the second minister in the Stalin cabinet against whom the ED is taking action.

Minister V. Senthil Balaji was earlier arrested by the ED after long hours of questioning in a case related to taking money for government jobs.

Balaji is now in judicial custody but under medical observation following an angioplasty for a block in the coronary artery.