In a sweeping crackdown on systemic corruption in India’s medical education sector, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a First Information Report (FIR) naming senior officials from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the National Medical Commission (NMC), and prominent private medical institutions across the country. Among those named is D P Singh, chancellor of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and former chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC). The case, registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and multiple sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, unveils a deeply entrenched network accused of manipulating statutory inspections, leaking confidential information, and bribing officials for favourable regulatory outcomes.
According to the FIR, high-ranking officials in Delhi allegedly shared sensitive details—such as inspection schedules and assessor names—with private medical colleges. These leaks allowed institutions to stage fraudulent setups during inspections, including fake patients, ghost faculty, and tampered biometric attendance systems. Several key figures in the scam include Virendra Kumar of Gurgaon and Manisha Joshi of Dwarka, who allegedly acted as conduits between institutions and officials. Notably, Kumar reportedly worked with Jitu Lal Meena, a former whole-time member of the Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB), collecting bribes through hawala networks. Some of the illicit funds were used to build a Hanuman temple in Rajasthan, with costs estimated at ₹75 lakh.
The corruption wasn’t confined to the north. The FIR reveals operations extending into southern India through B Hari Prasad of Andhra Pradesh, who—along with partners in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam—helped colleges secure clearances using bribes and dummy faculty. One such case involved Gayatri Medical College, where ₹50 lakh was reportedly collected and routed back to Kumar. At Warangal’s Father Colombo Institute of Medical Sciences, bribes totaling over ₹4 crore were paid to Prasad to secure favourable inspection outcomes via formal bank transactions.
At Indore’s Index Medical College, ghost faculty were falsely shown as permanent staff. Biometric systems were manipulated with cloned fingerprints, and fake degrees were issued through Malwanchal University. Its chairman, Suresh Singh Bhadoria, is under scrutiny for large-scale forgery and fraud. In Chhattisgarh, the Shri Rawatpura Sarkar Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (SRIMSR) was tipped off in advance about a June 30 inspection. Mayur Raval, registrar of Geetanjali University, allegedly demanded ₹25–30 lakh and revealed the NMC inspection team’s identities. On inspection day, bribes were reportedly collected and distributed through a hawala network by the assessors themselves, including Dr. Manjappa C N and Dr. Chaitra.
The investigation has uncovered breaches in official secrecy, misuse of public office, and exploitation of systemic loopholes in India’s medical regulatory framework. The CBI’s ongoing probe is expected to widen, with further arrests and forensic audits likely. The revelations have sparked concern over the integrity of India’s medical education system and raised questions about regulatory accountability at the highest levels.