The case pertains to a Vigilance department complaint that was converted into an FIR on June 2, and revolves around widespread irregularities, manipulated tenders and the siphoning of public funds meant for medicines, surgical items, and hospital equipment.
Vital files related to the alleged Rs 700-crore medical procurement scam, which showed purchases made by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) and the Central Procurement Agency (CPA) have been “intentionally destroyed”, the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) has told a Delhi court.
The CPA is the nodal agency responsible for procuring and supplying medicines, vaccines and medical equipment to Delhi government hospitals and healthcare facilities.
According to the probe, files related to bids for X-Ray machines, C-Arm machines and linen, among other items, contained details of the officials who prepared the bid documents and set the terms and conditions. The files also named those involved in the technical and financial evaluation of the bids.
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Last week, the ACB submitted before the court that the accused “intentionally destroyed” these files and caused the “disappearance of crucial evidence of the crimes committed by them”.
The primary accused in the alleged fraud include former DGHS chief Dr Vatsala Aggarwal, former CPA deputy controller of accounts Neeraj Chopra and Dr Vinod Kumar Ranga, former CPA head of office.
While Ranga’s regular bail plea was rejected by the court on Monday, Aggarwal was granted interim bail on medical grounds for four weeks by Special Judge Vidya Prakash on Tuesday.
Aggarwal had cited various ailments, including hypertension, diabetes, palpitation and spinal injury while seeking interim bail.
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“In view of the above noted facts and circumstances and considering the present medical condition of the applicant/accused and without going into the merits of the case or seriousness of the allegations levelled against her, and purely on humanitarian ground, this court is of the opinion that applicant/accused deserves to be granted interim bail on medical grounds,” Judge Prakash said on Tuesday.
The case pertains to a Vigilance department complaint that was converted into an FIR on June 2, and revolves around widespread irregularities, manipulated tenders and the siphoning of public funds meant for medicines, surgical items, and hospital equipment. The first arrest in the case was made on June 18.
On June 30, Rajiv Rangila, a key accused in the case, was granted anticipatory bail in an extortion case days before he allegedly fled India. A medicine supplier and pharmaceutical trader, Rangila is still absconding, the ACB has told the court.
Ranga had cited in his bail plea that his liberty was being curtailed as the ACB has not been able to complete its probe due to Rangila going missing. Also, he alleged that he had taken all decisions following Aggarwal’s go-ahead.
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As per the ACB, the accused criminally connived to participate in the “cartelisation” process during bids and allegedly awarded tenders to “entities” of their choice using illegal methods. Turnover, experience and performance criteria were set at exorbitantly high levels, the agency claimed in its submissions, to “discourage other bidders from participating in the tender”.
Further, the ACB submitted that payment of other vendors were kept pending over two years after items were supplied by them. It also alleged that funds were transferred into “hundreds” of accounts belonging to individuals unrelated to the items supplied to the DGHS or the CPA.
“From those accounts, money in crores have been withdrawn either in cash or were further transferred to other accounts to siphon off government funds,” it added.
Nirbhay Thakur is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express who primarily covers district courts in Delhi and has reported on the trials of many high-profile cases since 2023.
Professional Background
Education: Nirbhay is an economics graduate from Delhi University.
Beats: His reporting spans the trial courts, and he occasionally interviews ambassadors and has a keen interest in doing data stories.
Specializations: He has a specific interest in data stories related to courts.
Core Strength: Nirbhay is known for tracking long-running legal sagas and providing meticulous updates on high-profile criminal trials.
Recent notable articles
In 2025, he has written long form articles and two investigations. Along with breaking many court stories, he has also done various exclusive stories.
1) A long form on Surender Koli, accused in the Nithari serial killings of 2006. He was acquitted after spending 2 decades in jail. was a branded man. Deemed the “cannibal" who allegedly lured children to his employer’s house in Noida, murdered them, and “ate their flesh” – his actions cited were cited as evidence of human depravity at its worst. However, the SC acquitted him finding various lapses in the investigation. The Indian Express spoke to his lawyers and traced the 2 decades journey.
2) For decades, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been at the forefront of the Government’s national rankings, placed at No. 2 over the past two years alone. It has also been the crucible of campus activism, its protests often spilling into national debates, its student leaders going on to become the faces and voices of political parties of all hues and thoughts. The Indian Express looked at all court cases spanning over two decades and did an investigation.
3) Investigation on the 700 Delhi riots cases. The Indian Express found that in 17 of 93 acquittals (which amounted to 85% of the decided cases) in Delhi riots cases, courts red-flag ‘fabricated’ evidence and pulled up the police.
Signature Style
Nirbhay’s writing is characterized by its procedural depth. He excels at summarizing 400-page chargesheets and complex court orders into digestible news for the general public.
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