The Aryavarth Express
Agency (Madhya Pradesh): The CBI investigation into the nursing college scam in Madhya Pradesh has uncovered that its officers allegedly collected bribes ranging from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 10 lakh from each institute to provide favorable inspection reports, according to the central probe agency.
CBI Deputy SP Ashish Prasad, inspectors Rahul Raj and Sushil Kumar Majoka (on attachment from the MP Police), and Rishi Kant Asathe are among 22 individuals booked in the case. Raj was arrested on Sunday, May 19.
The CBI FIR also names the directors and chairpersons of eight colleges offering nursing courses, along with staff and middlemen who facilitated and delivered the bribes on behalf of the inspection teams.
“A case registered by the CBI reinforces its zero-tolerance policy towards corruption and shows that CBI does not spare its own officials if found deviating from core values of the organization,” a CBI spokesperson stated.
The inspection teams, constituted on the orders of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, were set up to inspect nursing colleges. These teams included CBI officers, staff nominated by the Indian Nursing Council, and state patwaris.
The CBI received information that these teams were engaging in corrupt practices by giving suitability reports to ineligible institutes in return for large bribes. Following verification and discreet observation, the agency registered an FIR.
“The source also informed that the bribe money collected by this cartel from each nursing college varies from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. This bribe money is shared among CBI officers and middlemen,” the CBI FIR stated.
The agency also received input that additional amounts ranging from Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000 were paid to each nursing officer and Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000 to each patwari attached to the CBI team as a bribe.
“Bribe amounts for the nursing officer, specialist, and patwari used to be delivered by these private persons (middlemen) on the same day or the next day of inspection,” the FIR noted.
The CBI has named the chairpersons of two institutes—Anil Bhaskaran of Malay College of Nursing and Ravi Bhadoria of RD Memorial College of Nursing and Pharmacy—in the FIR. Directors of various colleges, including Jugal Kishor Sharma of Bhaskar College of Nursing, Ashish Chouhan of Dhar College of Education, Mukesh Giri Goswami of Shubhdeep College of Nursing, and Mohit Niroge of Khargone Institute of Medical Science, have also been booked. Additionally, Om Goswami and Gaurav Sharma of Pratyansh College of Nursing and Paramedical are listed as accused.
The CBI has alleged that Jugal Kishore was one of the middlemen leading a bribe-collecting module, assisted by Ashok Nagar, Rohit Sharma, and Radha Raman in collecting and delivering bribes to the inspection teams.
Kishore also used Radharaman Sharma to deliver bribes to CBI inspector Rahul Raj’s friend, Rahul Sharma, in Jaipur, on the officer’s instructions.
The FIR stated that Om Goswami led another module of middlemen, assisted by Ravi Bhadoria, Kamal Irani, Ashish Chouhan, Mukesh Giri Goswami, Mohit Niroge, Gaurav Sharma, Ved Sharma, Zuber Sheikh, Preeti Tilkwar, and Tanveer Khan.
The CBI had information that Goswami paid bribes of around Rs 25 lakh in two tranches to Tanveer Khan, CEO of Patel Motors, who had bought 400 grams of bullion from the bribe amount from Ratlam.
The FIR also alleged that Bhaskaran acted as a middleman, collecting Rs 10 lakh from Sachin Jain’s office on May 18, which was to be delivered to Rahul Raj.
When the agency was convinced of the bribe exchange, a raid was conducted where Raj was caught red-handed on Sunday, May 19, allegedly accepting illegal gratification of Rs 10 lakh from Bhaskaran and his wife, Suma Anil. The couple has also been arrested.
Officials stated that Sushil Kumar Majoka, a Madhya Pradesh Police officer currently attached to the CBI, was also taken into custody by the central agency.
The CBI has arrested a total of 13 persons, including the chairman of Indore-based R.D. Memorial College of Nursing and Pharmacy, Ravi Bhadoria; the director of Gwalior-based Bhaskar College of Nursing, Jugal Kishor Sharma; the principal of Bhopal-based Bhabha University, Jalpana Adhikari; and Om Goswami of Pratyansh College of Nursing and Paramedical, Indore.