Court orders framing of charges in two cases against Ramadoss

A court here on Wednesday ordered framing of corruption charges in two separate cases against former union health minister Anbumani Ramadoss and various others.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special judge Ajay Kumar Jain found prima facie evidence against Ramadoss and others in two cases, relating to alleged favours being shown by Ramadoss, health minister in the UPA-I government, and other accused to the private Rohilkhand Medical College and Hospital (RMCH) in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly city and the Index Medical College Hospital and Research Centre (IMCHRC) in Madhya Pradesh's Indore.

According to the charge sheet, Ramadoss abused his official position to grant permission to the Indore-based institution to admit students although it lacked adequate facilities.

The Medical Council of India (MCI) and a panel appointed by the Supreme Court had said that IMCHRC was not having sufficient faculty and clinical material required as per MCI norms, it said.

The CBI has chargesheeted Ramadoss, the health and family welfare ministry's former deputy secretary, K.V.S. Rao, section officer Sudershan Kumar, consultant professor J.S. Dhupia, and Safdarjung Hospital's head of department (pathology), Dipendra Kumar Gupta, IMCHRC officials Nitin Gothwal, S.S. Bhadoria and Pawan Bhambhani and doctors K.K. Saxena and S.K. Tongia.

"...accused Dr. Ambumani Ramadoss, K.V.S. Rao, S.S. Bhadoria, Nitin Gothwal and Pawan Bhambhani are prima facie found to have comitted offence under section 120AB (criminal conspiracy) read with section 13(2) and 13(1)(d) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and section 420 (cheating), 465 (punishment for forgery), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record) IPC," the court said.

Sections 13(2) and 13(1)(d) of Prevention of Corruption Act deals with criminal misconduct by public servant by obtaining any pecuniary advantage.A

However, the court dischraged Dhupia, AGupta, Kumar, Saxena and Tongia in the case.

In another case pertaining to RMCH, CBI had chargesheeted Ramadoss and others for allegedly showing favours to it in grant of renewal for admissions in the MBBS course in 2008-2009.

The case was transferred by Supreme Court from a court in Lucknow to Delhi last year after PMK leader S. Ramadoss had sought shifting of the trial.

The court ordered to frame charges against Ramadoss, Rao and Rohilkhand education trust's chairman K.K. Aggarwal under various provisons of corruption act and cheating and forgery of IPC.

However it discharged VM Medical college's doctor Vindu Amitabh and Sanjiv Kumar Rasania in the case.

The court fixed the matter for framing of charges November 2.

All the accused in both cases are presently out on bail.