CBI asked to reply on Ramadoss bail plea on Aug 4

A Delhi court on Friday directed Central Bureau of Investigation to file its reply by August 4 on the bail pleas of former Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss and eight others accused in a corruption case related to a medical college scam.

Special Judge Talwant Singh fixed hearing on bail applications for August 4 after the CBI prosecutor sought some time to file the replies.

Ramadoss, the PMK leader, is facing prosecution for allegedly granting permission to Indore-based Index Medical College Hospital and Research Centre which had no sufficient faculty members or clinical infrastructure to run the course.

He had granted allegedly illegal permission to the medical college to admit students.

The court also asked the counsel for all the 10 accused to start the process of scrutinizing the documents. "List this matter for filing replies to the bail applications, arguments on bail and scrutiny of documents on August 4, 2012," the court said.

CBI also filed sanction for prosecution of Cabinet Secretariat Director K V S Rao, another accused in the case. Ramadoss has been chargesheeted for allegedly abusing

his official position in permitting IMCHRC to admit students without having sufficient faculty members and clinical infrastructure.

The CBI, in its 36-page chargesheet, has named Ramadoss and nine others, including two senior government officials and two doctors of Safdarjung Hospital here, besides five persons associated with the private hospital in Indore which allegedly gained 'pecuniary advantage' in 2008.

The court had earlier issued bailable warrants against Ramadoss on July 7 after he failed to appear before it following its summons.

The bailable warrants, however, were cancelled by the court On July 10 after Ramadoss appeared before it.

Besides Ramadoss, who was Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare from May 2004 to April 2009 in United Progressive Alliance-I government, and Rao, the agency has also named in its chargesheet the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's Section Officer Sudershan Kumar and Dr J S Dhupia and Dr Dipendra Kumar Gupta of Safdarjung Hospital.

The chargesheet was also filed against IMCHRC Chairman Suresh Singh Bhadoria, who is already out on bail, its former Dean Dr S K Tongia and Medical Director Dr K K  Saxena, besides Nitin Gothwal and Dr Pawan Bhambani.

According to the chargesheet, 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.

MCI had made it clear that permission may not be granted to IMCHRC due to deficiencies observed by its inspectors, it said.

According to 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 MCI's recommendations.

Ramadoss, Rao, Kumar and the two doctors of Safdarjung Hospital have been charged by CBI under section 120-B  (criminal conspiracy) of IPC along with offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Bhadoria and four others have been charged with offences of cheating and forgery. Bhadoria also faces charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act.