Former Tamil Nadu minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi has been arrested in an alleged ₹100-crore corruption case.
The case concerns allegations of collecting money from private school managements during his tenure as School Education Minister.
The FIR registered by the Central Crime Branch includes charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
DMK leader and former Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi was arrested on Monday in connection with an alleged ₹100 crore private schools scam, police said.
The arrest by the Greater Chennai Police’s Central Crime Branch (CCB) came shortly after the Madras High Court dismissed his anticipatory bail petition.
The case concerns allegations of money being collected from private school managements in exchange for permanent recognition and other administrative approvals.
Mahesh is accused of collecting money from over 1,000 private school managements in the guise of a “party fund” during his tenure as School Education Minister from 2021 to 2026, in exchange for permanent recognition and other administrative approvals, according to PTI.
The FIR registered by the CCB includes charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA). The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to probe the suspected financial trail linked to the alleged scam.
Who Is Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi ?
Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi is a leader of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), headed by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin.
Poyyamozhi represented the Thiruverumbur constituency in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly after winning the 2016 Assembly election. He retained the seat in 2021 and served in the state cabinet under Stalin.
His tenure as School Education Minister from 2021 to 2026 is central to the allegations in the private schools case. The police are investigating claims that money was collected from school managements in return for permanent recognition and other administrative approvals.
The allegations remain under investigation and have not been established in court.
2026 Assembly Election ?
Poyyamozhi contested the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly election from Thiruverumbur on the DMK ticket but lost to Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) candidate Vijayakumar (A), also known as Navalpattu S. Viji.
According to the Election Commission of India, Poyyamozhi secured 81,132 votes, while S. Viji received 89,837 votes. The TVK candidate won the constituency by a margin of 8,705 votes.
The result ended Poyyamozhi’s tenure as the MLA representing Thiruverumbur. He is now a former legislator and former School Education Minister.
ED Probe Into Alleged Financial Trail
Alongside the CCB investigation, the ED has registered a case under the PMLA to examine the suspected financial transactions linked to the alleged scam.
The police case centres on claims that private school managements were asked to pay money in exchange for recognition and statutory clearances. The ED’s investigation is focused on tracing the suspected financial trail associated with the allegations.
The case has brought Poyyamozhi, who held the School Education portfolio in the previous DMK government, under investigation over alleged irregularities during his ministerial tenure. The investigations are ongoing, and the allegations remain subject to legal proceedings.
