Former Tamil Nadu Minister Sent to Jail Until November Six in Bribery Case

UPDATE - follow-up to Former DMK Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi arrested in ₹100-crore private schools fraud case: Chennai police have placed former Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi under judicial custody until November 6 following his arrest in a multi-crore corruption case.

Court Appearance

Investigators produced the former minister at 10.10 pm on Monday before the trial court designated for corruption cases, after taking him for a medical examination at a state-run hospital. Judge L S Sathiyamurthy ordered the custody period after listening to arguments presented by defence advocates Wilson and Saravanan alongside Public Prosecutor John Sathyan. The Central Crime Branch team detained him following the rejection of his earlier request for anticipatory bail.

The Charges

Police sources state the inquiry centers on allegations that huge sums were illegally gathered as party funds from various private school managements across the state. The complaint originated from C. Elangovan, who serves as the secretary of the Tamil Nadu Private Schools Federation, targeting B.T. Arasakumar. Investigators allege that Arasakumar operated an unregistered group called the Tamil Nadu Private Schools Association, taking money by promising official recognition, school upgrades, and building permits through political influence. Arasakumar has since been detained under the Goondas Act, while investigators say a close associate of the former minister named Muthukumar remains untraced in connection with a roughly ₹100-crore portion of the scam.

Political Reactions

Former Chief Minister M.K. Stalin strongly criticized the police action, calling it a political vendetta meant to hide governance failures and law and order problems. Stalin maintained that Poyyamozhi had fully cooperated with the ongoing investigation and stated that the former minister would fight the accusations legally. This development marks the first arrest of a senior leader from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party since the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam took power.

Context

High-profile corruption investigations involving former government ministers often trigger intense political disputes between ruling and opposition parties in the state. Such cases typically center on allegations of misuse of official authority for collecting illegal funds during a previous administration's tenure in office.