Former Minister Anbil Mahesh Appears Before Chennai CCB in Rs 100-Crore Private School Approval Case

Former Tamil Nadu School Education Minister and DMK leader Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi was summoned to appear before the Chennai Central Crime Branch (CCB) on September 18 for questioning in connection with an alleged private school approval fraud case.

The summons followed an eight-hour CCB search on September 16 at his premises in Chennai and at Anna Nagar in Thennur, Tiruchirappalli, carried out after a complaint from a private school association alleging that around Rs 100 crore had been collected from 177 private school managements in exchange for permanent government recognition and other statutory approvals.

Police said 118 items, including property documents, bank statements, 18 mobile phones, laptops and tablets, were seized during the search, and that a case had been registered against Anbil Mahesh under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Speaking to reporters after the search, Anbil Mahesh said he would cooperate fully with the inquiry, maintained that nothing illegal was found during the search, and alleged that the action was politically motivated and intended to divert attention from his recent political statements.

The case has drawn sharp reactions from the DMK, with party president M.K. Stalin describing the search as an act of political vendetta by the state government.