Mahesh police questioning continued overnight in Chennai after a court authorised the Crime Branch to interrogate the former Tamil Nadu school education minister in a case involving alleged bribes for permanent approval of privately built schools, according to Dinamalar – Tamil Nadu.
The case relates to complaints that up to Rs 100 crore was collected during the previous DMK government on the promise of granting permanent approval to private schools that had been constructed without permission. Chennai Central Crime Branch police arrested private schools association president Arasakumar, Virudhachalam DMK former MLA Muthukumar and Mahesh, who was the school education minister at the time, in connection with the allegations.
Mahesh is currently lodged in Puzhal prison in Chennai. Police had sought permission to take him into custody for questioning, and a judge allowed the Crime Branch to interrogate him until 5 pm on November 4. The order sets the current period for police custody and questioning; it does not establish guilt against the accused.
Before being taken for questioning, Mahesh underwent a medical examination at Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital in Chennai. He was subsequently taken to the commissioner’s office, where Crime Branch officers began questioning him from Wednesday afternoon, the report said.
The overnight interrogation focused on the alleged collection of money, including who was said to have collected it and from whom. The investigation is examining the chain of individuals and transactions connected to claims that permanent approvals could be secured for private schools built without the required permissions.
The allegations place the approval of school buildings at the centre of the case. Permanent recognition or approval for an educational institution can affect whether a school is legally permitted to operate, but the report does not provide details of the specific schools involved, the regulatory approvals allegedly bypassed or the financial records being examined.
Police are expected to record Mahesh’s statement during the custody period. Investigators have also decided to question his wife, Janani, after obtaining his statement, according to the report. No details of her alleged role were provided in the source material.
The case highlights the administrative and construction implications of approving buildings that were allegedly erected without permission. However, the investigation remains ongoing, and the allegations must be distinguished from findings that may emerge through the legal process. The immediate next step is the completion of police questioning by the court-authorised deadline of 5 pm on November 4.
