Former RG Kar principal Sandip Ghosh made illegal appointments and siphoned funds: CBI in court

After he took over as the RG Kar principal, Dr Ghosh was transferred to a medical college in Murshidabad in September 2023. He returned to RG Kar Medical College within a month and continued until the August 9 incident of rape and murder. He resigned on August 12 and was immediately posted at the Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital. The next day, the Calcutta High Court stepped in and made him go on leave. He was suspended after his arrest by the CBI.

The CBI stated in the court, “It is suspected that Dr. Sandip Ghosh surpassed the process and straightaway appointed house staffers of his choice without adopting a transparent method for the same. The sole purpose of these discrepancies appears to be to pick and choose candidates of his choice. For 2024, a 13-member committee was formed for selection, merit list as well as counseling of house staffship for MBBS was prepared.

“All the documents such as resolution, final merit score have been signed by all committee members and final order of selection staff has been signed by Dr. Sandip Ghosh, Principal, RG Kar, Medical College. But the documents with respect to selection for the years 2022 and 2023, does not contain resolution, detailed calculation of marks. They simply contain final marks and final order for selection of 84 candidates. Whereas in these selection procedures too, committees were formed but the signature of committee members is missing in the mark-sheet and other documents.”

On the financial irregularities, the CBI said, “During investigation, instances have come which indicate siphoning of funds by way of managing tender in a collusive manner and the money thereafter reaching to the accused persons of this case. Further verification/investigation in this regard is going on.”

“It is primarily revealed that Dr. Sandip Ghosh showed undue favour to M/s Khama Louha by way of awarding space on rent for running a café under due to clout of Chandan Louha with influential people…. the firms which were awarded contracts, i.e. M/s Maa Tara Traders, M/s Hazra Medical, Nisha Enterprises (controlled and operated by Sk Afsar Ali Khan) etc, were awarded multiple works just below Rs 1 lakhs in order to be eligible for the quotation process for procurement of limited tendering. Multiple bills have been seized in which amounts are just below Rs 1 lakhs. Similarly multiple instances have been identified wherein the amount limit has been kept a few rupees below Rs 10000 in order to avoid quotations at all,” the agency added.

The CBI submitted that it arrested Dr Ghosh and other three accused “under section 120B /w 420, 409, 467 of IPC and Section 7 & 13(1) (a) of PC Act (as amended by the PC Act Amendment Act, 2018) and accordingly a prayer for adding these sections in the FIR was made”.

The sections were thus added to the FIR, the CBI said.