Published Oct 26, 2026 | 4:26 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 26, 2026 | 5:13 PM
TN's ex-Education Minister Anbil Mahesh. (Special Arrangement)
Former Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi has been arrested by the Chennai Central Crime Branch police on Monday, 26 October, in connection with an alleged ₹100-crore scam involving the issuance of permissions and approvals to private schools.
The arrest came after the Madras High Court dismissed his anticipatory bail petition earlier on Monday.
Anbil Mahesh has become the third former DMK minister to be arrested since the TVK government came to power in May 2026, following the arrests of Anitha R. Radhakrishnan and Udhayanidhi Stalin.
B.T. Arasakumar, president of the Tamil Nadu Private Schools Association, was also arrested in connection with the case and later released on bail.
Arasakumar, 59, of Saligramam, Chennai, called himself the founder-president of an unregistered organisation called the Tamil Nadu Private Schools Association (TNPSAA).
The Chennai Police’s Central Crime Branch found in its preliminary investigation that several crores of rupees had allegedly been collected from 177 private schools seeking approvals. Police had said that complaints from more schools were continuing to come in.
Also Read: Madras High Court dismisses Anbil Mahesh’s anticipatory bail plea in private school approvals case
According to the allegations, money was collected from private educational institutions by promising to secure government approvals during the DMK’s tenure, including permissions for school recognition and other regulatory clearances.
The Central Crime Branch police had registered a case and investigated the allegations. In connection with the case, two other individuals, identified as Suresh and Raja, were also arrested.
Anbil Mahesh had approached the court seeking anticipatory bail to avoid arrest. However, his petition was dismissed. Following the court’s decision, the police arrested the former minister and brought him to the Central Crime Branch office in Chennai for further investigation.
Earlier, on September 16, 2026, the Central Crime Branch conducted searches at nine locations linked to companies associated with Anbil Mahesh, firms in Chennai and Tiruchirappalli, and companies connected to his alleged associates, Valadi Karthi and Arun Prakash.
During the searches, the police seized cheques, 118 documents and records, 18 mobile phones, three laptops, eight pen drives and two desktop computers.
The seized materials were examined as part of the investigation. The police reportedly found evidence indicating Anbil Mahesh’s alleged links to the case. The arrest was made following the investigation and the dismissal of his anticipatory bail petition.
When the anticipatory bail plea came up for hearing before Justice V. Lakshminarayanan, senior advocate Wilson, appearing for Anbil Mahesh, submitted that the former minister had appeared before the police on September 18 in response to a summons.
He said the police questioned him for eight hours, asking as many as 240 questions, and that he had fully cooperated with the investigation.
Wilson further submitted that the police had conducted searches at properties belonging to Anbil Mahesh in Chennai and Tiruchy and seized documents. He said the former minister had also received a notice seeking income tax returns for the past 10 years and had submitted returns for seven years.
Arguing that Anbil Mahesh was neither likely to abscond nor tamper with witnesses, Wilson said he was ready to appear for questioning whenever required and that custodial interrogation was unnecessary. He also pointed out that three accused in the case had been granted bail and that the relevant documents were already in the government’s possession.
Opposing the plea, Chief Public Prosecutor John Sathyan submitted that the allegations were serious and described the case as one involving “financial terrorism”. He said investigators suspected that the amount collected could be as high as ₹400 crore, significantly more than the ₹100 crore mentioned in the initial allegations.
Sathyan said the alleged key accused, Muthukumar, was absconding and alleged that Anbil Mahesh was protecting him. He also told the court that Muthukumar had studied with the former minister and that custodial interrogation was necessary to investigate the alleged financial transactions. He argued that granting anticipatory bail could hamper the investigation.
After hearing both sides, the judge had reserved orders on the plea without specifying a date. The court pronounced its order on Monday, October 26, dismissing Anbil Mahesh’s anticipatory bail petition.
(Edited by Sumavarsha, with inputs from Subash Chandra Bose)
