Chennai: Former Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi was arrested on Tuesday by the Chennai Police’s Central Crime Branch (CCB) in an alleged Rs 100 crore corruption case, sources told NDTV. The case is about licences and other approvals given to private schools.
Police say money was collected from private schools on the promise that they would get government clearances. Investigators believe at least 177 schools were caught up in the scheme.
Mahesh is a senior leader of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). Police named him as an accused after they went through material from digital devices and statements recorded during questioning. According to investigators, this evidence points to his role in corruption and breach of trust. Officers have also added sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act to the case.
Mahesh denies the charges. He has gone to the Madras High Court asking it to quash the First Information Report (FIR), the document that formally starts a criminal case. But the court has not given him relief so far. On Monday, Justice V Lakshminarayan turned down his anticipatory bail plea, which is a request for protection from arrest before it happens. The arrest followed soon after.
The DMK has hit back hard. The party says the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government is misusing investigative agencies to go after its political rivals. There was no response from the government in the details available at the time of writing.
Where it all started
The case began with a complaint from Ilangovan, secretary of the Federation of Associations of Private Schools, Tamil Nadu. He said money was taken from him after he was promised permanent recognition, upgrades, planning approvals and other permissions that private schools need to run.
In the early stage, the focus was not on Mahesh. The allegations were aimed at BT Arasukumar, president of the Tamil Nadu Private Schools Association, and other office-bearers. They were accused of collecting membership fees and subscriptions from schools while claiming they could get official work done.
According to the complaint, the association told schools it would help them secure no-objection certificates (NOCs), licences, recognition, renewals and other regulatory clearances. Schools paid up, but the promised approvals never came.
What next
Mahesh’s plea to quash the FIR is still pending in the High Court. It is important to remember that these are allegations for now. He has not been convicted, and he maintains that he did nothing wrong. Police are still investigating, and more details may emerge in the coming days.
