Chennai: Muthukumaran, a former MLA and a close friend of Anbil Mahesh, who had been absconding in the Rs. 400 crore fraud case, surrendered before the Chennai Special Court for Prevention of Corruption yesterday. Following this, the judge ordered that he be remanded in judicial custody in prison until Nov. 12.
Based on a complaint filed by officials of the private schools association alleging that, during the previous DMK regime, more than Rs. 400 crore was collected as bribes in the name of party funds to grant permissions, including permanent recognition to private schools, the Central Crime Branch police in Chennai have registered a case against the then School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh, Parents-Teachers Association president P.T. Arasakumar, association state treasurer and former Vriddhachalam MLA V. Muthukumar, who is also a close friend of Anbil Mahesh, and others including Raja, Suresh, and Dinesh.
In this case, P.T. Arasakumar, Raja, and Suresh had already been arrested and released on bail. Meanwhile, former minister Anbil Mahesh was arrested in this case on Oct. 26 and has been lodged in prison.
In this situation, with the Supreme Court having dismissed the anticipatory bail petitions filed by former MLA Muthukumar and Dinesh, who had remained absconding in this case, Muthukumar surrendered yesterday before Judge L.S. Sathiyamoorthy at the Chennai Special Court for Prevention of Corruption.
Following that, Judge L.S. Sathiyamoorthy ordered that Muthukumar be remanded in judicial custody in prison until Nov. 12 and be provided first-class facilities in prison. After that, the police took him to Puzhal prison.
