Chennai police hauled Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi into custody on Monday, effectively shutting down his legal shield just as the Madras High Court dismissed his anticipatory bail plea. The former Education Minister faces charges over a ₹100 crore slush fund allegedly extracted from private school managements. It’s a stark reversal for the DMK figure, whose political capital now hinges on a courtroom battle rather than legislative influence.
The allegations are specific and damning. During his tenure as School Education Minister from 2021 to 2026, Mahesh allegedly demanded money from over 1,000 private school owners in exchange for permanent recognition and statutory clearances. The Greater Chennai Police’s Central Crime Branch registered an FIR under the Prevention of Corruption Act, while the Enforcement Directorate has opened a separate case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to trace the financial trail. The scale of the alleged kickbacks—averaging roughly a lakh per school—suggests a systemic racket rather than isolated incidents.
Mahesh, however, maintains his innocence. He labeled the recent raids at his residences in Chennai and Tiruchirappalli as a "political vendetta" orchestrated by the ruling TVK government. "Every room, every drawer was checked. We fully cooperated. The officials themselves said such cooperation is rare," he stated following the eight-hour search in September. His legal team is expected to challenge the arrest warrants in the next hearing.
The investigation intensifies as police sift through seized documents and bank records. While the DMK leadership has yet to issue a formal statement on the arrest, the party faces mounting pressure to distance itself from the charges. The next critical step is the production of Mahesh before the Magistrate Court, where bail applications will likely be filed. For now, the former minister is in police lockup, facing a prosecutorial machine that has already moved to freeze assets and trace every rupee of the alleged ₹100 crore haul.