NEW DELHI, July 7:
Former Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss, charge-sheeted for granting illegal permission to a medical college for admitting students, was today issued bailable warrant by a Delhi court for “intentionally avoiding” its summons and failing to appear before it.
In its report to Special Judge Talwant Singh, the CBI said the summons could not be served to PMK leader Ramadoss as he was not available at his Chennai residence and had gone to Bengaluru for medical treatment.
“I want his presence in the court. It appears that accused (Ramadoss) is intentionally avoiding the service of the summons issued to him. Issue bailable warrants in the sum of Rs 10,000 against him to be executed under the supervision of DIG of concerned branch for July 20,” the court said.
Ramadoss has been charge-sheeted for allegedly abusing his official position in permitting Indore-based Index Medical College Hospital and Research Centre (IMCHRC) to admit students without having sufficient faculty members and clinical infrastructure.
The judge also said the reports for non-service of summons to Ramadoss were not satisfactory and sought presence of a CBI official and a Chennai police personnel before it on the next date of hearing to explain as to why summons were not served to Ramadoss.
“Apparently the reports regarding non-service of the summons on accused no. 1 (Ramadoss) are not satisfactory and convincing.
“Let Inspector K Madhusudhan as well as Police Constable P Murugeshan be present in the court on the next date of hearing to explain the reasons as to why they could not serve the summons issued by this court on Ramadoss,” the court said, directing the CBI Superintendent of Police, Chennai to ensure the presence of the two officials before it on July 20.
The CBI in its 36-page charge sheet had named Ramadoss and nine others including two senior government officials and two doctors of Safdarjung Hospital here and five persons associated with the private hospital in Indore which allegedly gained “pecuniary advantage” in 2008.
Besides Ramadoss, who was the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare from May 2004 to April 2009 in UPA-I government, the CBI has also named in its charge sheet Cabinet Secretariat Director K V S Rao, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s (MHFW) Section Officer Sudershan Kumar and Dr J S Dhupia and Dr Dipendra Kumar Gupta of Safdarjung Hospital.
Charge sheet was also filed against Chairman of IMCHRC Suresh Singh Bhadoria, ex-Dean of the college Dr S K Tongia, Medical Director of the college Dr K K Saxena, Nitin Gothwal and Dr Pawan Bhambani.
In response to the summons, accused Rao, Kumar, Dhupia, Gupta and Bhadoria appeared in the court and filed their bail pleas. Bhadoria is already on bail.
The court issued notice to the CBI to file replies on their bail applications and kept it for further hearing on July 20.
The other four accused Tongia, Saxena, Gothwal and Bhambani sought exemption from personal appearance for the day’s proceedings, through their counsel, and the prayer was allowed by the court.
The judge did not issue fresh summons or warrants against the four accused, who sought exemption from personal appearance, after their counsel assured the court that they would be present on the next date of hearing.
According to the charge sheet, Ramadoss and other accused conspired with each other in permitting IMCHRC admission for second year despite the fact that the Medical Council of India (MCI) and a committee appointed by the Supreme Court had “repeatedly recommended” that IMCHRC was not having sufficient faculty and clinical material required as per MCI norms.
Ramadoss, Rao, Kumar and the two doctors of Safdarjung Hospital have been charged by the CBI under section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC along with offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Bhadoria and other four have been charged with offences of cheating and forgery. Bhadoria also faces charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
According to the CBI, the accused had entered into a conspiracy in which IMCHRC gained pecuniary advantage in the form of grant of permission for admission of second batch of MBBS students for academic year 2008-09 ignoring the recommendations of the MCI.
The MCI had made it clear that permission may not be granted to IMCHRC due to deficiencies observed by its inspectors.
In its charge sheet, the CBI had said Bhadoria conspired with employees Tongia, Saxena, Bhambani, Gothwal and the HR manager and submitted a fake list of faculty members and false bed occupancy reports.
The agency had said Dhupia and Gupta got the signatures of “dummy faculty members” which were forged just to show full strength of the faculty members.
The charge sheet had also said Dhupia and Gupta, who were the inspectors of the central team, had “obtained hospitality from the IMCHRC and failed to verify the records and persons produced before them.” (PTI)
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