States » SouthPosted at: Nov 5 2026 6:41PM


Special Court to pronounce orders on Nov 10 on bail plea of Ex-DMK Miniter Anbil Mahesh

Chennai, Nov 5 (UNI) The Special Court for Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) cases in Chennai on Thursday reserved its orders on the regular bail plea of senior DMK leader and former Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi for November 10 in the Rs 100 crore private school fraud case.
After hearing elaborate arguments from both the sides, Special Court Judge L.S.Sathyamoorthy reserved the orders to November 10.
Arguing for his release on bail, Richard Wilson, counsel for the ex-Minister, said intially they said it was Rs.100 crore corruption. Now they have enhanced it to Rs.800 crore.
Stating that it was the prime accused B.T.Arasakumar, who ran an unrecognised Association for private schools, who had collected bribes to the tune of Rs.100 crores saying he has to crease the palms of the authorities.
The case initially registered against Arasakumar was now changed by the police and also sought to know what the Central Crime Branch (CCB) police had registered the case when the DVAC was there to probe corruption cases.
Richardson also argued that the file increasing the recognition period for private schools from three years to 20 years was signed by the Additional Secretary and not by Anbil Mahesh. It was a joint decision and the files had been sent to various departments before the GO was issued.
What can the former Minister do if Arasakumar had uttered lies. Anbil was arrested based on the statements of those who had given bribes to Arasakumar, Richardson said and sought to know why those who have admitted of given bribes were not arrested.
Why should Anbil be blamed for the fault committed by Arasakumar and those who had given bribes were made as witnesses in the case. Though police claim that Anbil was an influential person, he would neither flee anywhere nor tamper with the evidences and that he should be granted bail.
Terming it as a 'scientific corruption' and that the case against Anbil was not politically motivated, the prosecuction stoutly opposed the bail stating that Anbil has be questioned again as more details and evidences have emerged during the 3-day custodial interrogation.
Observing that there are several reasons behind the surrender of key suspect Muthukumar, who was cited as the 3rd accused, the proseuction said he should also be questioned to collect more evidences and his links with the former Minister.
Arguing that yet another custodial interrogation of the former Minister was necessary as video evidences on a key suspect Saravanan, who was since absconding, carrying money to Anbil's house, the prosecution said enlarging him on bail at this stage would hamper the investigation.
Countering it, counsel for the former Minister asked the police whether it was prepared to produce the video evidence in the court. If there is any such video and if it was submitted by the police, the bail plea would be withdrawn.
After recording the submissions from both the sides, the Judge said he would pronounce the orders on November 10, which means that the former Minister should spend the Deepavali day in prison.
Anbil Mahesh was arrested by the CCB police on October 26 hours after the Madras High Court dismissed his anticipatory bail petition in the graft case, which according to the investigators could cross Rs.400 crores.
He was the first ex-DMK Minister to be arrested in a corruption case after the TVK government headed by Chief Minister Vijay assumed office in May and started digging into various corrupt activities involving former Ministers during the previous DMK regime.
Police said the arrest was based on the material evidences collected during the raids conducted at Anbil's locations and those connected with him.
The case was registered under Sections 316(5) (criminal breach of trust by a public servant) and 318(4) (cheating that dishonestly induces a person to deliver property), read with Section 3(5) (joint liability arising from common intention), of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Mahesh was also accused of collecting money from more than 1,000 private school managements in the guise of a "party fund" during his tenure as school education minister from 2021 to 2026.
So far, four others, including former DMK MLA V Muthukumar, the prime accused BT Arasakumar, and two others, were arrested in the case.
While dismissing his advance bail plea, Mr Justice V.Lakshminaryanan observed that the ex-Minister was not an ordinary person and was politically influential who could tamper with the evidences. The Judge also said considering the huge involvement of money trail in the name of party funds (an euphemism for corruption coined by the present regime), which the police claimed as "financial terrorism", the beneficiaries could be identified only by interrogating the ex-Minister. The police also opposed it saying his custodial interrogation was necessary to ascertain the money trail and identify the beneficiaries of the party funds.
UNI GV 1840
Tags: #Special Court to pronounce orders on Nov 10 on bail plea of Ex-DMK Miniter Anbil Mahesh
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