CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Monday refused to grant anticipatory bail to former Tamil Nadu school education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi in an alleged Rs 100-crore scam involving the issuance of recognition and other statutory clearances to private schools.
Justice V Lakshminarayanan dismissed the pre-arrest bail petition filed by the DMK leader, who was booked by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) of the Greater Chennai Police in connection with the case.
Mahesh is a co-accused in the case along with BT Arasakumar, president of the Tamil Nadu Private Schools Association, and former MLA Muthukumar, an office-bearer of the Tamil Nadu Parent-Teacher Association who is said to be a close aide of the former minister.
The FIR was registered on a complaint lodged by DC Ilangovan, secretary of the Federation of Private Schools, Tamil Nadu, alleging corruption in the process.
The investigating agency alleged that Mahesh directly collected money from schools in the name of a “party fund”.
The agency said witnesses confirmed meeting the former minister and discussing money collected from school managements in the name of a party fund.
The witnesses also referred to assurances about the issuance of government orders to address the demands of the school managements, the agency said, adding that the matter required further investigation.