Former Minister Anbil Mahesh arrested in alleged school approval scam
Hours after the Madras High Court denied him anticipatory bail on Monday, October 26, former School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi was arrested by the Chennai police’s Central Crime Branch for his alleged involvement in collecting over Rs 100 crore from private school managements in the
Hours after the Madras High Court denied him anticipatory bail on Monday, October 26, former School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi was arrested by the Chennai police’s Central Crime Branch for his alleged involvement in collecting over Rs 100 crore from private school managements in the guise of “party funds” in exchange for government approvals.Justice V Lakshminarayanan passed the order earlier in the day, denying the former minister’s plea in the case being investigated by the CCB. The case centres on BT Arasakumar and Muthukumar, who claimed to be the founder-president and treasurer respectively of the Tamil Nadu Private Schools Association, an unregistered organisation. Arasakumar was a Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) spokesperson and Muthukumar is a former MLA, who is currently absconding.The duo were accused of collecting more than Rs 100 crore from private school managements by promising to secure permanent recognition from the government, school upgradation approvals, Directorate of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) clearances and other statutory permissions under the guise of “party funds” to the DMK, which was in power at the time.Arasakumar was arrested by the CCB on June 27 and subsequently detained under the Goondas Act on July 14. However, a special court in Chennai granted him bail on September 29 after the investigating agency failed to file its final report within the stipulated 90-day period.The investigation was later expanded to probe the involvement of Anbil Mahesh, who held the School Education portfolio during the time.On September 16, the CCB conducted searches at nine locations in Chennai and Trichy, including four premises linked to Anbil Mahesh and locations associated with his aides Valadi Karthik, Arun Prakash and Prakash. The former minister’s residence in Trichy’s Thennur was among the premises searched. On October 1, the Enforcement Directorate registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with the alleged racket. Its preliminary investigation is currently on tracing the money allegedly collected from private school managements and establishing how the funds were subsequently transferred or used.