Tamil Nadu Law Minister C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar on Thursday rejected claims that the arrest of former DMK minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi was politically motivated, saying the case rests on complaints from educational institutions that alleged extortion. Speaking to reporters on October 29, 2026, Kumar said the state government is acting on evidence, not on political grudges.

The arrest is the centerpiece of a widening corruption case. Kumar said several schools had complained that money was collected from them, and he put the alleged corruption at nearly ₹400 crore. He claimed brokers had been appointed at the district level to collect money from schools for what he described as the “party fund.” The Madras High Court, he noted, had said the case required custodial interrogation.

When asked about searches at premises linked to former minister K. N. Nehru, Kumar said two cases had been registered by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC). One of those cases led to a search conducted two months earlier, he said. The minister did not spell out the details of the second case in the remarks reported.

The most explosive allegation came in his description of the alleged job racket. Kumar claimed jobs had been promised to 2,300 people through Anna University, and that ₹30 lakh to ₹40 lakh was collected from each of them. He put the total amount collected at nearly ₹800 crore. He said digital evidence supports the case.

“There is no political vendetta against former DMK Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi and his arrest was solely based on the basis of a case following complaints lodged by educational institutions.”

That defense is the government’s central answer to vendetta claims. Kumar denied any intention to target anyone and insisted that every action taken so far follows from documented complaints and material evidence. Whether the courts and investigators back that account will decide how the case is judged, but the minister made clear the government is not backing down.

The questions also moved beyond the arrests. Asked about the Theni jailbreak and security inside prisons, Kumar said the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)-led government has ordered CCTV cameras installed in all prisons across Tamil Nadu. He acknowledged a practical problem: scanning machines in some central prisons were not functioning. He said funds have been allocated in the budget to buy new scanners.

Measures are also under way to equip prison warders and police personnel with body cameras when they interact with prisoners, Kumar said. The government is presenting the prison steps as part of the same push for accountability that drives the corruption cases.

For now, the sharpest contest is over credibility. The government says the evidence speaks for itself, citing complaints from schools, a High Court view on custodial interrogation, DVAC registrations and digital records. Opponents who call the process a vendetta have a clear rebuttal to make. The minister’s answer is that the allegations, the figures and the evidence are all on the table, and the state intends to see them tested.