Are Multi-City CBI Raids Revealing Bribes and Godman’s Role in Medical College Regulation?

New Delhi/Bhopal/Raipur, July 5 (NationPress) — In a significant operation uncovering entrenched corruption in the regulation and accreditation of medical colleges, the CBI has apprehended six individuals, including three doctors, and dismantled a scheme involving the self-styled godman Rawatpura Sarkar, former UGC Chairman D.P. Singh, and a network of officials and intermediaries, as stated by an official on Saturday.

The multi-state corruption operation compelled the CBI to conduct raids at over 40 sites across Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has identified 34 individuals and one unnamed person in its first information report (FIR) registered on June 30, under section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, along with Sections 7, 8, 9, 10, and 12 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (amended in 2018), which address criminal conspiracy and bribery of public officials.

The FIR includes numerous high-ranking officials, intermediaries, and representatives from private medical colleges across the nation.

Recently, the CBI detained six individuals, including three doctors, involved in drafting a report favoring Shri Rawatpura Sarkar Medical College (SRIMSR), located in Nava Raipur, Chhattisgarh. The accused allegedly accepted a bribe of Rs 55 lakh from the college management for issuing a favorable report despite significant deficiencies in the college's facilities.

The individuals arrested in the act include Dr. Manjappa CN, Dr. Ashok Shelke, Dr. Satish A, Dr. Chaitra MS, her spouse Ravichandran, and Atul Kumar Tiwari.

The FIR filed by the CBI indicates that the Rs 55 lakh bribe was exchanged through hawala channels. Additionally, the CBI has initiated a case against Ravishankar Maharaj, also known as Rawatpura Sarkar, the chairman of the college.

The CBI received credible information suggesting that certain officials from the Ministry of Health and the National Medical Commission (NMC), in collusion with representatives of private medical colleges, were engaging in extensive irregularities in the recognition process.

These officials overlooked regulatory protocols and illicitly recognized numerous private medical colleges in exchange for substantial bribes, as reported.

According to the CBI’s FIR, certain public servants within the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the NMC colluded with private entities to undermine the statutory inspection processes that govern medical education.

Allegations indicate that these offenses transpired across locations including Raipur, Bangalore, Indore, Udaipur, Delhi, and others during the years 2024–25.

Prominent figures cited in the FIR include Dr. Jitu Lal Meena, Joint Director at the National Health Authority, Dr. Manjappa CN, a Professor at the Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences and a member of the NMC inspection team, as well as Mayur Raval, Registrar of Geetanjali University, Udaipur.

Also mentioned are senior officials from Shri Rawatpura Sarkar Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (SRIMSR), including Chairman Shri Ravi Shankar Ji Maharaj (alias Rawatpura Sarkar) and Director Atul Kumar Tiwari.

The report unveils a staggering network of bribery, document falsification, and leaks of confidential inspection schedules. It states that “medical colleges received advance notice of statutory inspections and the names of assessors,” enabling them to manipulate compliance, engage proxy faculty, enroll fictitious patients, and even tamper with biometric attendance records.