“Party Fund” for Approvals? DMK’s Anbil Mahesh Arrested in Alleged Private School Racket

Alleged “party fund” for school approvals, a rejected bail plea and a “political vendetta” claim: what to know about the Anbil Mahesh arrest

PGurus Newsdesk

October 26, 2026

118 items seized, 18 phones, an ED money laundering case and now an arrest

Madras High Court dismissed his anticipatory bail plea hours before the CCB made the arrest

Former Tamil Nadu School Education Minister and DMK leader Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi was arrested on Monday over an alleged Rs 100 crore scam involving private school approvals. The Greater Chennai Police’s Central Crime Branch (CCB) took him into custody shortly after the Madras High Court dismissed his anticipatory bail plea, PTI reported.

The arrest is a blow to the DMK, which has spent months describing the case as a political vendetta. It was not a ruling-party decision alone that cleared the way: the High Court declined to shield him from arrest at this stage.

According to the case, Mahesh is accused of collecting money from more than 1,000 private school managements in the guise of a “party fund” during his time as School Education Minister from 2021 to 2026. The alleged price of the scheme was permanent recognition and other administrative approvals. The CCB’s FIR includes charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The Enforcement Directorate has also registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to trace the money.

Critics say the alleged arrangement, if proved, would mean schools were made to pay for approvals that should have come on merit, and that the “party fund” description points to a system rather than a lapse.

The trail has built up over months. Police arrested B.T. Arasakumar and two others in June. In September, the CCB carried out an eight-hour search at Mahesh’s residences and premises in Chennai and Tiruchirappalli, seizing 118 items, including property deeds, bank statements, 18 mobile phones, laptops and tablets. The raid followed a complaint by a private school association. Mahesh was later questioned by the CCB.

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