Published Oct 26, 2026 | 3:44 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 26, 2026 | 3:44 PM
Madras High Court.
The Madras High Court on Monday, 26 October, dismissed the anticipatory bail petition filed by former Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi in a case registered over allegations of collecting more than ₹100 crore by promising to secure permanent recognition and statutory approvals for private schools.
The case was registered against Anbil Mahesh, private schools association president P.T. Arasakumar and others for allegedly collecting money illegally from more than 1,000 private schools during the previous DMK government by promising to obtain permanent recognition, DTCP and CMDA approvals, and other statutory clearances.
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, putting 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)
