CHENNAI, October 27 (Aalimi Nation) – The Central Crime Branch (CCB) has arrested former Tamil Nadu School Education Minister and senior DMK leader Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi in a case over money allegedly collected from private schools. The arrest came on Monday, hours after the Madras High Court dismissed his anticipatory bail plea.
Mahesh was reportedly arrested from an apartment in the Aminjikarai area of Chennai. Officers questioned him for more than two hours after the arrest. No remand or custody details had been reported at the time of writing.
What police allege in the Anbil Mahesh case
According to investigators, more than Rs 100 crore was allegedly collected from private schools in exchange for permanent recognition, upgradation and other statutory clearances. Police say the money was collected in the name of a "party fund", with assurances that pending government approvals would be cleared. They have identified 177 schools as affected.
The CCB has booked Mahesh under the Prevention of Corruption Act and named him as an accused. Police said witnesses confirmed meeting him and discussing the money, and that he assured them that government orders would be issued. They said evidence pointed to alleged corruption and criminal breach of trust.
The complaint was lodged by the secretary of the Federation of Associations of Private Schools in Tamil Nadu. Police searched premises linked to Mahesh and his associates in Chennai, Tiruchy and other places.
The head of an association of private schools, B T Arasakumar, was arrested on June 27 and later granted bail by the Madras High Court. Two other men were also arrested earlier. A former legislator described as a close aide of Mahesh is involved in the investigation, though he has not been reported as arrested.
Court and the amounts
The CCB told the High Court that it had gathered enough evidence to justify custodial interrogation. The court then rejected the anticipatory bail petition. A bail refusal is not a finding of guilt.
The scale of the alleged transactions is disputed. Investigators told the court that transactions worth about Rs 17.26 crore had been traced so far, while the public prosecutor alleged that about Rs 400 crore had changed hands in the alleged racket. The Enforcement Directorate has begun a separate money laundering inquiry into the financial trail.
Reaction from the DMK
Mahesh has denied the allegations and has challenged the case against him. DMK president and former Chief Minister M K Stalin condemned the arrest on Monday, calling it political vendetta. He said the state government was using it to distract attention from law and order problems and corruption. Stalin said Mahesh had cooperated fully with investigators and that the allegations would be contested through the legal process.
The DMK has accused the state government of using investigative agencies to target political opponents. The government's response to that charge had not been reported at the time of writing.
The next steps are expected to include Mahesh's production before a court and any custody request by the CCB. His separate challenge to the case and the Enforcement Directorate's parallel inquiry may also shape how the matter develops. All the allegations remain under investigation and have not been tested at trial.
