A Chennai special court on Friday deferred its decision on the Central Crime Branch’s request for five days of police custody of former school education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi in an alleged ₹100-crore private-school recognition case, sending him back to judicial custody until November 2.
Special judge L S Sathyamoorthy directed that Anbil Mahesh be produced before the court at 11am on November 2. The order followed several hours of arguments on the police application seeking custodial interrogation in connection with the case.
The former minister was arrested on October 26 after the Madras High Court refused him anticipatory bail. The prosecution has sought his custody to question him about the alleged money trail, properties held by him and his family members, possible benami assets and the role of former DMK MLA Muthukumar, according to the Central Crime Branch’s submissions before the court.
Special public prosecutor for corruption cases Usha Rani told the court that custodial interrogation was necessary for the investigation. She also said adequate medical facilities would be available to Anbil Mahesh in prison while responding to the defence request that he be allowed home-cooked food and medicines.
Representing Anbil Mahesh, senior advocate Abudukumar Rajarathinam argued that the former minister had already cooperated with the investigation. He told the court that searches had been conducted at properties linked to Anbil Mahesh on September 16 and that he had been questioned for eight hours on September 18.
According to the defence, Anbil Mahesh answered more than 200 questions and supplied documents sought by investigators. Rajarathinam also argued that the government order extending the recognition-renewal period for private schools from three years to 20 years had followed consultations involving several departments.
The defence maintained that Anbil Mahesh, who was the school education minister at the time, had only forwarded a representation from schools to officials for consideration. The senior counsel argued that he could not be implicated in the case over what he described as a collective policy decision. He also contended that the custody application had been filed to obstruct the former minister’s bail plea.
The case concerns the process through which private schools receive or renew official recognition, an administrative approval that determines whether institutions can legally continue operating under the education system. The police allegations and the defence’s response are part of the ongoing court proceedings; the supplied report does not establish the guilt of any accused person.
The court is expected to consider the police custody application again when Anbil Mahesh is produced on November 2. The Central Crime Branch’s response to the request concerning home food and medicines is also expected to be placed before the court.
