CBI files chargesheet against Ramadoss

New Delhi, April 27 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Friday filed a chargesheet against former union health minister Anbumani Ramadoss for abusing his official position in favouring pecuniary advantage to a Indore-based medical college.

According to the chargesheet, Ramadoss, a PMK leader and the other accused conspired with each other in permitting Indore-based medical college, Index Medical College Hospital and Research Centre (IMCHRC) admission for a 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.

The chargesheet filed before special judge Talwant Singh has indicted 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.

It has alleged that Ramadoss abused his position, allowing a Indore-based medical college to go ahead with admissions without having sufficient faculty and clinical material.

The CBI has booked Ramadoss, K.V.S. Rao, director in the Cabinet Secretariat, Sudershan Kumar, section officer of the Ministry Health and Family Welfare (MHFW), two doctors of Safdarjung Hospital -- Dr J.S. Dhupia and Dr Dipendra Kumar Gupta -- for the offence of criminal conspiracy and various sections of Prevention of Corruption Act.

The CBI in its chargesheet has also booked Suresh Singh Bhadoria, chairman of IMCHRC for cheating, forgery, and under various section of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Other accused Dr S.K. Tongia, ex-Dean of the IMCHRC, Dr K.K. Saxena, Medical Director of the IMCHRC, Nitin Gothwal and Dr Pawan Bhambani are booked with the offence of cheating and forgery.

The CBI has listed names of 117 prosecution witnesses in its chargesheet.