NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday sought a response from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on the pleas of Tamil Nadu Minister V Senthilbalaji and his wife S Megala challenging the July 14 order of the Madras High Court upholding his arrest by the probe agency in a money laundering case.

A bench of Justices AS Bopanna and MM Sundresh issued notice to the ED on the pleas and posted the matter for hearing on July 26.

Besides upholding the arrest of the minister, the high court had also held as valid his subsequent remand in judicial custody by a sessions court in the money laundering case arising out of the alleged cash-for-jobs scam in the State's Transport Department when he was the Transport Minister. He continues to be a minister without portfolio in the Tamil Nadu Cabinet.