Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi moves Madras High Court to quash CCB FIR in ₹100-crore school fraud case
Former DMK Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi has approached the Madras High Court seeking to quash a CCB FIR in an alleged ₹100-crore collection from private schools.
Former School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi has moved the Madras High Court seeking to quash a First Information Report filed by the Chennai Central Crime Branch (CCB) in connection with the alleged collection of more than ₹100 crore from private schools across the State during the previous DMK government.
The FIR was registered on June 27, 2026. A sub-application filed by the former Minister to dispense with the production of the original copy of the FIR is scheduled to be heard on Monday, September 28, 2026, by Justice V. Lakshminarayanan.
The case traces back to a complaint lodged on June 23, 2026, by D.C. Elangovan, president of a registered association of private schools, with Greater Chennai Commissioner of Police A. Amalraj. Mr. Elangovan alleged that the prime accused, B.T. Arasakumar — president of an unregistered association of private schools — had, by claiming proximity to the ruling dispensation, collected crores of rupees from school managements in exchange for services such as securing approvals for upgrading schools, obtaining permanent recognition and getting building plan approvals cleared.
The complaint named 13 others as alleged accomplices: Muthukumar, G.R. Sridhar, Palaniappan, Chandrasekaran, Dinesh, Einstein, Subbiah, Suba alias Subramaniam, Suseendran, Deivasigamani, Senniappan, Janagarathinam and 'Bank' Subramaniam. Mr. Elangovan also urged the police to examine the role of the former Minister and take appropriate action.
Acting on the complaint, the CCB arrested the prime accused on June 27 and subjected him to custodial interrogation. He was detained under the Goondas Act on July 11. His wife subsequently challenged the preventive detention before the High Court through a habeas corpus petition, contending that a civil dispute between office-bearers of two associations had been given a criminal colour.
As part of the probe, CCB investigators conducted searches on September 16 at nine locations linked to Mr. Poyyamozhi in Chennai and Tiruchi, and summoned him for inquiry on September 18.