While the Anti-Corruption wing of the CBI’s Lucknow branch concluded search operations that began on Wednesday at two private medical colleges in Bareilly,a few other colleges in Uttar Pradesh have come under the agency’s scanner.
The CBI had conducted simultaneous searches at Sri Ram Murti Smarak Institute of Medical Sciences and Rohilkhand Medical College & Hospital on Wednesday. This,after registering a case against the administrators of both the colleges and Ketan Desai — former chief of the Medical Council of India (MCI). The case was registered under Anti-Corruption Act. Both colleges offer courses in MBBS and facilities for treatment at their hospitals concerned.
The search,conducted at the offices and premises of the institutes,concluded late on Wednesday afternoon. The CBI teams seized documents and data related to the day-to-day affairs at the institutes and their hospitals. Following this,the teams left for Lucknow in the evening,said Javeed Ahmed,CBI Joint Director in Lucknow.
A case has already been registered into the alleged anomalies conducted by the administrators of the colleges in connivance with former MCI chief Ketan Desai. The administrators are yet to be named,as the colleges are run by separate trusts,added Ahmed. He further said that Desai would be brought to Lucknow for interrogation.
The Lucknow branch of the CBI had initiated action against the colleges after receiving information from their Delhi counterparts about Desai’s undue support extended to the Bareilly colleges in the past.
The details had revealed that Ram Murti Institute had sought permission from the MCI before starting its fifth MBBS batch in 2009. As a physical verification was required before giving the permission,the MCI (then headed by Desai) had sent a team of officials for the purpose four times within a period of 35 days between April and May 2009.
A CBI official said the inspection reports of the first three visits by MCI teams had clearly stated that there was a shortage of teaching faculty,nursing staff and also that accommodation for the staff did not meet the norms. But,the report after the last visit stated that majority of the deficiencies detected earlier were shown to have been removed within 20 days.
On the basis of the last report,Desai sent a recommendation to the Centre on June 10,2009,to give a “go ahead” to Ram Murti Institute of Medical Sciences for starting its fifth batch.
The CBI official added that Desai had sent an MCI inspector,Suresh C Shah,on all the four visits to the Ram Murti institute. Shah was considered close to Desai.
Besides,the official said,grave irregularities were detected at the hospital being run by the institute.
While records at the hospital’s administrative office showed 89 per cent occupancy by patients,diagnosis sections like CT scan and X-Ray had no entry of patients for several days.
Similar anomalies were detected in providing permission for running the fifth batch of the MBBS course at Rohilkhand Medical College.
Desai allegedly ignored the norms and sent his recommendation to the government in favour of the college,the official added.
More such private colleges in the state are alleged to be involved in such irregularities and they are under the CBI scanner,the official said.
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