Chennai (PTI): Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi has decided to keep the dismissal order of state minister V Senthil Balaji in abeyance for the time being and informed Chief Minister M K Stalin about it, sources said on Thursday.

In a late evening communication to the chief minister, the governor said he would consult the attorney general and seek his legal opinion about the move.

The order to dismiss Balaji from the Council of Ministers has been kept in abeyance by the governor until further communication, the sources said.

Earlier, the governor had dismissed Balaji from the Council of Ministers, days after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in an alleged cash-for-jobs scam.

Stalin had said the state government would challenge the governor's decision legally.

In an official release, the Raj Bhavan in Chennai had said, "There are reasonable apprehensions that the continuation of V Senthil Balaji in the Council of Ministers will adversely impact the due process of law, including fair investigation that may eventually lead to the breakdown of constitutional machinery in the state." Balaji "is facing serious criminal proceedings in a number of cases of corruption, including taking cash for jobs and money laundering. Abusing his position as a minister, he has been influencing the investigation and obstructing the due process of law and justice," the release added. PTI ACB SKL.

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Jaipur (PTI): Nine persons, including a woman, have been arrested for allegedly abducting a man and subjecting him to torture in Rajasthan's Ajmer district, police said on Sunday.

The incident took place on Saturday in Gagwana village under the Gegal police station area and was allegedly linked to an ongoing dispute, they said.

According to police, a marriage between a woman and a man from Beer village, had ended in divorce following which she had been living at her parental home. About five months ago, the victim, identified as Jeetu (21), married the woman.

The woman's former in-laws allegedly objected to this marriage, claiming that the issue had not been settled in accordance with community norms, and that the dispute had been ongoing.

Following this, Jeetu was allegedly abducted on Saturday, held captive, and assaulted by the woman's former in-law's. He was allegedly forced to wear a garland of shoes and slippers and made to drink urine, police said.

A video of the incident later surfaced on social media, triggering outrage in the area.

Following the circulation of the video, Jeetu's family staged a protest at the Gegal police station, alleging delay in police action.

Rural Circle Officer Ramchandra Chaudhary reached the spot and assured the family of prompt action. A case was registered on Saturday evening and teams were formed to trace the accused.

Superintendent of Police Harshvardhan Agarwala said nine accused, including a woman, have been arrested and the vehicles used in the crime seized.

Efforts are underway to apprehend the other absconding accused, police said.