The Madras High Court, on Monday (October 26), dismissed an anticipatory bail plea filed by former Education Minister Anbil Mahesh in connection with an alleged Rs 100 crore corruption case with respect to granting recognition to private schools.

Justice V Lakshminarayan dismissed the plea.

A detailed order copy is awaited.

The FIR was registered based on a complaint by the former General Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Private Schools Association, alleging that the President of the Association, BT Arasukumar, and other office bearers had collected membership and subscription fees from private schools on the promise of securing NOCs, licenses, recognition and renewals and did not fulfil the promise. The FIR was initially registered for offences under Sections 316(5) and 318(4) read with Section 3(5) of the BNS.

Later, the prosecution filed an alteration report before the Metropolitan Magistrate to include offences under Sections 7 and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and to array Mahesh as an accused. Following this, the case was registered against him.

Mahesh had also approached the court seeking to quash the FIR against him.

Mahesh submitted that there was no record to show that illegal gratification was received by him and no overt act had been done by him.

He argued that after the elections and change in government, the de facto complainant seemed to have some misgivings with the Association president and had lodged the complaint. He pointed out that even as per the complaint and statement of witnesses, it could be seen that some persons had collected money from private schools using Mahesh's name and no overt act had been done by him.