Chennai: Asserting that the ₹100 crore private school recognition cheating case could be termed as an ‘economic offence’, a special court for corruption cases here has declined to release on bail the arrested former school education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi.“Public interest is prime and paramount consideration in this bail plea, made by the petitioner. The welfare of the school children and their education would prevail over the petitioner’s private interest and his right to be enlarged on bail,” special judge L S Sathiyamurthy said while dismissing Anbil Mahesh’s bail application.The issue pertains to a case registered by the Chennai Central Crime Branch (CCB) police based on a complaint that an unregistered association of private schools headed by one B T Arasakumar and former MLA Muthukumaran collected bribes to the tune of ₹100 crore promising to secure 20-year recognition and various other govt approvals for private schools. As they failed to secure the recognition as promised or return the money collected, school management registered criminal complaints.After inquiry, the CCB police added Anibl Mahesh who was the then school education minister as a co-accused and arrested him on Oct 26. He was subjected to custodial interrogation from Nov 2 to 4.Refusing any relief to the petitioner, the court said, “The statements of the witnesses who have voluntarily made it to the investigating officer and some of the correspondents/managers of the private schools have appeared before the judicial magistrate and their statements are recorded. This court has a cursory look into them, they are fulfilling a prima facie right to link this petitioner with the alleged crime.”This case involves a multi crore amount demanded and collected by deception and threats from multiple victims, the private school managements. The involvement of the petitioner, a responsible public servant and private individuals A1, with criminal antecedent and A2, who absconded for a considerable period and suddenly surrendered after the arrest of the petitioner and some of the persons of accused yet to be secured, makes this case as a huge magnitude economic offence, the judge added.“Further, the investigation is in the initial stage, other named accused persons are yet to be secured. The process of custodial interrogation, if any, of A2, a surrendered accused, has just started by an application presented before this court. At this stage, it is not proper to release the petitioner on bail,” the court concluded.
