The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed cases against 34 people, including senior officials from the Union Health Ministry and the National Medical Commission (NMC), for their alleged roles in a massive bribery and fraud network manipulating inspections of private medical colleges.
Those named in the CBI’s First Information Report (FIR) include eight health ministry officials, a National Health Authority (NHA) officer, and five doctors who were part of NMC’s inspection panels. Along with them, prominent figures from private medical colleges and several middlemen have also been implicated.
The Crackdown
As reported by PTI, the CBI uncovered a wide-ranging conspiracy where Union Health Ministry officials, NMC assessors, and private college representatives colluded to influence inspection outcomes in exchange for bribes. The agency has so far arrested eight people, including three NMC doctors, allegedly caught red-handed accepting a bribe of ₹55 lakh from Rawatpura Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (SRIMSR) to secure a favourable inspection report.
Those arrested include:
- Dr. Manjappa C.N., Dr. Chaitra M.S., and Dr. Ashok D. Shelke – all part of the NMC’s inspection team,
- Atul Kumar Tiwari, Administrative Director of SRIMSR,
- Sathisha A., and Ravichandra K.
The arrests were made following raids at over 40 locations across Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi. The CBI claims that the inspection team visited SRIMSR on June 30 and accepted bribes through hawala transactions arranged by intermediaries.
In addition, Dr. Atin Kundu, the Medical Director of SRIMSR and also an Assistant Professor at Raipur Government Medical College, was arrested. His involvement raised serious concerns about conflict of interest and violations of service conduct rules, which prohibit holding dual roles without prior approval.
The CBI alleges that the inspection reports were tampered with to ensure SRIMSR met the criteria for recognition by the NMC. While the defense claims the doctors were simply fulfilling their duties, the CBI asserts that it has substantial evidence of corruption and collusion.
All accused were presented before a special CBI court in Raipur, which is yet to decide on the agency’s request for their custodial interrogation.
How the Scam Worked
The CBI FIR outlines a sophisticated system operating within the Union Health Ministry. Eight officials are accused of leaking confidential documents and inspection schedules to medical colleges through intermediaries in exchange for hefty bribes. These leaks gave colleges advance notice of inspection visits and the identities of inspectors, allowing them to fabricate compliance.
According to the CBI, the colleges used the information to:
- Deploy ghost faculty and fake patients to create an illusion of compliance,
- Bribe NMC assessors to submit favourable reports,
- Manipulate biometric attendance records,
- Stage the inspection environment to pass regulatory checks.
The officials allegedly clicked photos of internal ministry files, noting sensitive comments from senior officers, and shared these with middlemen and college representatives.
Bribes reportedly ran into several lakhs of rupees, some routed through hawala channels, and in one instance, allegedly disguised as donations for temple construction.
Earlier NMC Action
This scandal follows a recent case where the NMC blacklisted a senior Assessor and imposed penalties on a private medical college in Karnataka. That college lost its seat renewal and expansion permissions for the 2025-26 academic year after the CBI arrested an Anatomy HoD from Murshidabad Medical College. The doctor, serving as an NMC assessor, was allegedly caught taking a ₹10 lakh bribe to clear the college during inspection.
As a result, the college was barred from renewing its existing MBBS and PG seats or applying for new courses for the coming academic year.
