Chennai: The special court for Prevention of Corruption Act cases on Monday handed the Central Crime Branch three days' custody of former school education minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi in the alleged private school recognition scam.
The CCB had asked for five days to trace the money trail in what it describes as a multi-crore scam. The court allowed custody for three days from 1 pm on Monday and directed that he be produced before it by 5 pm on November 4.
Before interrogation begins, he is to be taken to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital for a medical fitness examination. The medical certificate must be produced when he is brought back to court on Wednesday.
The court also directed that he not be subjected to physical or mental harassment, and allowed his counsel to be present during questioning.
The case concerns allegations of irregularities in the grant of recognition to private schools. The CCB is investigating and is working to establish how funds moved.
The allegations have not been tested in court and no chargesheet has been filed. The investigation is at an early stage.
When the custody ends, Wednesday's hearing will decide what comes next. Until then, the conditions the court set — a medical examination, the presence of counsel, no harassment — will shape how the interrogation is conducted.
Three days is a short window for an agency that asked for five. The medical certificate has to be in court on Wednesday, which leaves the CCB Tuesday and part of Wednesday for questioning, and the counsel's right to be present limits how those hours are used.