Chennai: CBI booked six Puducherry government officials, including an IAS officer and managing directors / registrars of seven private medical colleges, in connection with alleged irregularities in admission to postgraduate medical courses in the state under a section of the Prevention of Corruption Act, criminal conspiracy and cheating.
Apart from the Puducherry health secretary Dr B.R. Babu and Central Admission Committee (CENTAC) chairman Narendra Kumar, other government officials booked by CBI are Puducherry health and family welfare director Dr Raman, CENTAC convenor Dr V Govindraj, joint convenor Dr K Pajaniradja and coordinator Dr Jonathan Daniel.
“The accused officers cheated bona fide students who were issued provisional admission certificates during counselling by the Centralised Admission Committee (CENTAC) but were later denied the seats they were allocated”, the CBI FIR reads.
The private medical college and administrators figuring in the accused list of CBI are: Rajagopalan, MD, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute; Ganesan, MD, Aarupadaiveedu Medical College and Research Institute; Ponniyin Selvan, registrar, Vinyaka Medical Missions Medical college; Anbazhagan, MD, Sri Lakshmi Narayana Institute of medical science; Dhanaksekharan, MD, Manakula Vinayagar medical college hospital; Dr Anil Jacob Purti, registrar, Pondicherry Institute of medical science and Ramachandran, MD, Venkiteswara Medical College Hospital and Research Center.
It is alleged by the CBI that public servants in criminal conspiracy with private hospital officials of abused their official position and cheated bona fide students. It claimed that as part of the conspiracy, the private medical colleges denied admission to bona fide CENTAC- sponsored students and admitted others collecting exorbitant fees.
Medical colleges in Puducherry have 318 postgraduate and diploma seats in medicine, of which 162 are under government quota and the rest 156 are earmarked as management seats.
