Chennai, Nov 12 (IANS) The Madras High Court on Thursday adjourned the hearing on former Tamil Nadu School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh’s bail application, in a case involving allegations of illegal collections from private schools in exchange for recognition, to November 17.
The adjournment came after police sought time until November 17 to file their response to the former minister’s bail plea.
Mahesh approached the High Court after a special court dealing with corruption cases rejected his application for release.
The Chennai Central Crime Branch arrested the DMK leader on October 6 in connection with allegations that up to Rs 400 crore had been illegally collected by promising recognition for private schools during the previous DMK administration. The alleged collections form the basis of the case registered by the Central Crime Branch.
The allegations against Mahesh remain subject to judicial examination, and the proceedings described so far concern his custody and request for bail.
Following his arrest, a special court in Chennai had sent Mahesh to judicial custody until November 6. He subsequently moved the court seeking bail in the case.
After hearing arguments on the application, the special court reserved its order before rejecting the plea. Special Court Judge L.S. Sathyakumar, while declining to grant bail, observed that there was prima facie material to implicate Mahesh in the alleged offence.
The court also extended his judicial custody until November 18. The observation was made while deciding the bail application and does not amount to a final determination of guilt in the case.
Challenging the denial of bail, Mahesh approached the Madras High Court seeking his release while the criminal proceedings continue. When the petition came up for consideration, police requested additional time to submit their response. The High Court consequently deferred the hearing to November 17, leaving the bail request pending.
The next hearing is scheduled a day before the expiry of the judicial custody period ordered by the special court. Thursday’s adjournment did not provide Mahesh with bail or alter the existing custody order. The proceedings will next focus on the police response to his application and the arguments for his release.
–IANS
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