PUDUCHERRY: Five government officials, including former health secretary, health director, convenor and two other Centac officials surrendered before a special judge in Puducherry on Tuesday, in compliance with the anticipatory bail granted by the High Court after they were booked in connection with the alleged post graduate medical admission scam.
Director of Health and Family Welfare Services cum Director of Medical Education Dr K V Raman, Former Health Secretary B R Babu, Director in-charge of Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Research Institute and Centac Convenor Dr V Govindaraj, Joint convener K Pajaniradja alias Kichena and Centac coordinator M Jonathan Daniel, who were part of the committee that conducted the medical admissions, surrendered before Principal Sessions Judge Rama Thilagam who is the Special Judge in the case filed by the CBI. They were released on execution of bonds as directed by the High Court.
Based on a complaint by Lt Governor Kiran Bedi, the CBI had taken up an investigation with regard to PG medical admissions in private colleges. A case has been registered against the five officials along with Centac Chairman G Narendra Kumar and managing directors of private medical colleges for the alleged irregularities in medical admission under Section 120-B, read with 420 of IPC, and Section 13 (2), read
with Section 13 (1) (d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, in September this year.
The CBI claims that the accused officials entered into a criminal conspiracy with private medical colleges during March-July 2017 with regard to admissions in PG medical courses in the UT and facilitated the admission of students not sponsored by the Centac.
The CBI charged that the officials cheated the students who were issued provisional admission certificate by denying them allotted seats, instead facilitating private medical colleges to admit students who were not sponsored by the Centac by collecting exorbitant fees.
The officials in their defence said “A verification of records would demonstrate that there was no violation of directions of Government of India, Government of Puducherry, Medical Council of India or the Supreme Court. No blemish whatsoever can be attributed to us in the role and functioning as officials of the Centac or otherwise”. Subsequently, their bail pleas were heard and granted bail.