Chennai, Aug 28 (IANS): A special court hearing the cases related to MPs and MLAs has extended the judicial custody of jailed Tamil Nadu minister Senthil Balaji till September 15, an official said on Monday. 

Judge K. Ravi announced the orders extending the judicial custody of the minister without portfolio till September 15.

The court also handed over the 3,000-page charge sheet of the Enforcement Directorate to the minister directly.

The Enforcement Directorate had on August 12 filed a prosecution complaint of about 3,000 pages.

Balaji was arrested by Enforcement Directorate officers on June 14 after raids were conducted on his official residence and office premises.

Balaji, who during his arrest was serving as the Electricity and Excise minister of Tamil Nadu, was later retained in the cabinet of Chief Minister Stalin as a minister without portfolio.

The minister, after his arrest, had complained of chest pain and later, an angiogram conducted at the Government Omandurar hospital detected him with three blocks in his coronary artery.

The minister had then petitioned the Madras High Court that he had to undergo angioplasty to remove his coronary artery block and he requested the court that he wanted his surgery to be conducted at the Kaveri Hospital.

The Madras High Court accepted his application and the minister was allowed to avail the treatment at the private hospital.

After a few days of staying at the Kaveri Hospital, he was later shifted to the Medical ward in Puzhal Central Prison on the outskirts of Chennai where he is currently lodged.