Saravanan, the driver of accused Muthukumar in the alleged multi-crore school approval scam in Tamil Nadu, surrendered before a special court in Chennai on Wednesday and was remanded to judicial custody until November 25.
Saravanan is the sixth accused in the case and appeared before Judge L.S. Sathiyamoorthy of the Special Court for Corruption. During the hearing, he told the court that he had surrendered voluntarily and had not been pressured by anyone.
The surrender came a day after police told the court that bail should not be granted to former minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi until Saravanan was arrested. The Chennai Central Crime Branch said Saravanan was allegedly involved in transporting cash connected to the case to the former minister’s residence.
According to the police submission during the bail hearing, Muthukumar had collected the money and Saravanan had taken it to Mahesh’s house. The police also told the court that they had video evidence supporting this claim. These allegations remain part of the ongoing investigation and court proceedings.
Anbil Mahesh was arrested on October 26. Cases under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, were registered by the Chennai Central Crime Branch on September 16. The case concerns allegations that money was collected from private school managements in exchange for recognition and various permissions for their institutions.
The first complaint was filed by T.C. Ilangovan, secretary of the Federation of Associations of Private Schools in Tamil Nadu. The complaint named DMK functionary P.T. Arasakumar, who was allegedly operating an unrecognised organisation called the Tamil Nadu Private Schools Association.
The Crime Branch arrested Arasakumar on June 27. Police alleged that he had collected Rs 100 crore from several private school managements by promising to secure recognition and permissions during the DMK government. The investigation has since widened to include the alleged movement of cash and the roles of other accused persons.
The case places the process of school recognition and permissions under scrutiny because these approvals determine whether private institutions can legally operate and serve students. The surrender of Saravanan is expected to give investigators an opportunity to question him about the alleged transfer of money and his relationship with other accused persons.
The immediate legal milestones are Saravanan’s judicial custody until November 25 and the continuing proceedings on Anbil Mahesh’s bail petition. The court’s consideration of the police evidence and the accused persons’ responses will determine the next stage of the case.
