Amid ED and vigilance probes, Punjab reinstates 12 of Dr Amit Bansal’s de-addiction centres, 6 of them with expired licences

The health department suspended the licences of the 12 de-addiction centres in January this year.

A December 11, 2025, communication sent from the health department to the deputy commissioners and civil surgeon offices of around eight districts where these 12 centres are located stated that Dr Bansal’s 12 de-addiction centres should be de-sealed as per the November 30, 2025, orders of the health department as well as a December 1, 2025, order of the high court.

The high court had directed the health department to either provide valid reasons for closing the de-addiction centres or reopen them. The department thus informed the court that no irregularities had been found at the 12 centres.

In its order dated December 1, 2025, the high court also directed the health department to furnish details regarding the remaining centres. Accordingly, the department has asked the district officials to submit status reports along with fire as well as theft cases within three days, so that a decision can be taken and a comprehensive reply can be filed before the court in the next hearing.

The department’s letter, a copy of which is with The Indian Express, also stated that licences of six of the 12 centres were valid, while the licences of the remaining six centres had expired. It ordered that these six de-addiction centres also be de-sealed so that their owner can apply for licence renewal within a week.

The 12 reinstated centres are Agam Hospital, Hoshiarpur, licence valid till 26.12.2026; New Agam Hospital, Hoshiarpur, licence valid till 05.12.2027; Ekam Hospital, Moga, licence valid till 25.04.2026; Ekam Hospital, Barnala Road, Moga, licence valid till 05.12.2027; Guru Nanak Manorog Hospital, Sri Mukatsar Sahib, licence valid till 30.05.2027; Khamano De-addiction Centre, Khamano, Fatehgarh Sahib, licence valid till 17.03.2027; Sirjan Hospital, Sangrur, licence valid till 05.07.2025; Gurmat Hospital, Ferozepur, licence valid till 16.08.2025; Sukhman Hospital, Patiala Road, Zirakpur, SAS Nagar, licence valid till 10.07.2025; Sukhman Hospital, Moga, licence valid till 05.12.2024; Ik Onkar Hospital and De-addiction Centre, Sri Mukatsar Sahib, licence valid till 23.10.2025; Samarpan Hospital, Tarn Taran, licence valid till 05.12.2024.

Status report sought on remaining 10 centres

In another letter dated December 11, 2025, to the deputy commissioners as well as the civil surgeon offices of around nine districts, the department has sought status reports on Dr Bansal’s remaining 10 de-addiction centres.

This letter said that, as per the State-level Inquiry Committee meeting held on December 9, six of the 10 centres have reported theft cases and that district-level committees were directed to send status reports on these theft cases. The six centres are Kiran Hospital, Amritsar; Barnala Manorog Hospital in Barnala; Param Hospital in Tarn Taran; Amrit Hospital, Badso in Patiala; New Barnala Manorog Hospital, Bhagta Bhaika in Bathinda; and Sehaj Hospital, Phagwara, Kapurthala.

The letter further said that the district-level committee of Rupnagar had recommended suspending the licence of Sirat Hospital in Rupnagar and that the committee was directed to send the basis of its recommendation.

The letter further reads that Simran Hospital, Ludhiana; Sehaj Hospital in Nakodar, Jalandhar; and Adarsh Hospital in Patiala faced FIRs for some irregularities, and district-level committees were asked to send status reports on these FIRs to the State Level Inquiry Committee.

All these status reports are required to be sent within three days to the office of the deputy director of the mental health branch of the health and family welfare department.

The ED probe was triggered by multiple incidents, including viral videos from Dr Bansal-run centres allegedly showing staff selling in-house medicines. Several of Dr Bansal’s bank accounts and those linked to his family members have since been attached, and a lookout circular has been issued against him.

The Vigilance Bureau had also registered a case against Dr Bansal on charges relating to financial irregularities and suspected wrongdoing in the functioning of his chain of de-addiction centres.

A parallel probe ordered by the health department in January 2025 into the disappearance of a patient remained stalled for months as it was difficult to provide tablet records from sealed centres.

When contacted, Dr Hitender Kaur Sohal, Director, Department of Health and Family Welfare, did not deny the reinstatement of the 12 de-addiction centres of Dr Bansal.