Chennai, Nov 6:
A special court for Prevention of Corruption Act cases on Thursday reserved its orders until November 10 on the bail petition moved by former School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi in connection with an
alleged Rs 400-crore bribery and institutional approval scam.
During a marathon three-and-a-half-hour hearing before Special Judge Sathya Moorthy, Mahesh’s senior counsel Abudukumar argued that the former minister had fully cooperated with three days of custodial interrogation and provided all required records. Contending that Central Crime Branch (CCB) had bypassed the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) and escalated the alleged bribery figure from Rs 100 crore to Rs 400 crore without investigating how complainants raised the cash, counsel asserted that private intermediaries Arasakumar and Ilangovan collected funds under false pretences and Mahesh could not be held culpable.
Opposing the bail plea, State Public Prosecutor John Sathyan described the operation as “scientific corruption” executed systematically through private school association networks. The prosecution presented video evidence of cash deliveries to Mahesh’s residence, arguing that key associate Muthukumar surrendered within two days of Mahesh’s arrest after being harboured by him, and insisted that granting bail would hamper ongoing investigations.