Former Tamil Nadu school education minister Mahesh appeared before the Chennai Central Crime Branch in connection with allegations of irregularities exceeding ₹100 crore in the recognition of private schools and the granting of construction approvals, according to a report by Dinamalar. The questioning took place at the agency’s Vepery office on September 18 and followed searches at nine locations linked to the former minister, his office and his aides.
The case relates to allegations that irregularities occurred during the previous Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government in the process of granting recognition to private schools and issuing construction permissions. Dinamalar reported that the president of a private schools association, Arasakumar, and former MLA Muthukumar had been arrested in connection with the case. The Chennai Central Crime Branch is examining locations linked to them and reviewing bank transactions and documents seized during the investigation.
According to the report, investigators found material that they considered relevant to Mahesh, who had served as school education minister during the period under investigation. Police subsequently registered a case under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and conducted searches at nine locations, including premises belonging to Mahesh and his assistants.
Mahesh appeared after receiving a summons from the police. Dinamalar reported that the questioning began at about 11 a.m. and ended at 6 p.m. In comments to reporters after leaving the office, he said he had attended in response to the summons and would be prepared to answer further questions when called again next week.
The account contains conflicting figures about the questioning. In its summary, the report states that Mahesh said he answered 245 of the 295 questions put to him and that the questioning lasted seven hours. In the body of the report, his statement is recorded as saying that he answered 246 questions and that the session lasted eight hours. These figures require clarification before they can be treated as established facts.
Mahesh also said that several questions contained typographical errors and that he corrected them on printed copies. He claimed that although documents had been seized, they did not contain material relating to the allegations against him. He said the documents taken by investigators included records connected to figures he had cited in the state legislative Assembly and documents concerning public examination results.
The report does not establish the final scope of the documents seized, the specific transactions under examination or whether investigators have filed a chargesheet. It also does not include an independent statement from the Central Crime Branch setting out the allegations or confirming the precise number of questions and duration of the questioning. The next reported step is another appearance by Mahesh before investigators when he is summoned the following week.
