Former Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi. File
| Photo Credit: R. Ragu
A special court on Tuesday (November 10, 2026) dismissed the bail petition filed by former Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, who is accused of receiving a share of an alleged multi-crore bribe collected from private school managements allegedly through threats, deception, and false promises of securing government approvals.
D.C. Elangovan, secretary of the Private School Management Association, lodged a complaint with the Chennai Commissioner of Police on June 23, 2026, alleging that nearly ₹100 crore had been collected from private school managements through intimidation and forgery.
The complaint named B.T. Arasakumar (Accused 1), who allegedly floated an unregistered body called the Tamil Nadu Private Schools Association (TNPSA), claiming to be its founder-president, and Muthukumar (Accused 2), a former MLA from Virudhachalam, as the key persons involved in the collection of bribes.
The two allegedly organised an event of the TNPSA at Kalaivanar Arangam in Chennai on December 30, 2024, which Mr. Poyyamozhi attended as the chief guest. The prosecution alleged that a bank account was subsequently opened in the name of BTK Educational Development Trust at the Canara Bank’s Tondiarpet branch; this account was used to collect membership fees and other amounts from private schools.
The FIR alleged that the accused assured school managements that they could obtain government approvals and permissions easily, even if their institutions lacked basic requirements. They allegedly threatened that schools refusing to pay the demanded amounts would not receive the necessary permissions, potentially affecting students appearing for the SSLC and Class XII public examinations.
Dismissing the bail petition, Special Court Judge L.S. Sathiyamurthy noted that statements from witnesses, including private school correspondents and managers, had been recorded by the investigating officer and before the Judicial Magistrate. “A preliminary examination of these statements indicated a prima facie link between the petitioner and the alleged offence,” the judge observed.
The investigating agency had also seized computers and other digital devices from Mr. Poyyamozhi’s premises and sent them to a forensic laboratory for examination. The court said it would have to await the findings of the cyber forensic experts.
Observing that the investigation was still at an early stage and the first period of remand had only just concluded, the Special Court Judge said the materials collected so far indicated that substantial sums had been extorted from multiple private school managements through deception and threats. Witness statements suggested that money collected by A1, A2, and their associates had reached the petitioner under the guise of a ‘party fund’, it said.
Classifying the case as a multi-crore economic offence involving several victims, the court pointed out that some of the accused were yet to be arrested and the custodial interrogation of Muthukumar who had surrendered after the arrest of Mr. Poyyamozhi and other accused, was at an initial stage.
The court also underscored the responsibility attached to public office, observing that the petitioner, as School Education Minister, had been entrusted with the welfare of students, teachers, and parents.
Holding that public interest, particularly the welfare and education of schoolchildren, outweighed the petitioner’s (Mr. Poyyamozhi) claim for bail at this stage, Mr. Sathiyamurthy dismissed the petition.
Published – November 10, 2026 02:05 pm IST
