CBI arrests Homeopathy edu regulator head in bribery case

CBI today arrested president of Central Council of Homeopathy, a statutory body for regulating education in the field, in an alleged case of bribery of Rs 20 lakh for granting clearance to a college in Gujarat.
Agency sources said that along with CCH president Ramjee Singh, who also runs GD Memorial Homeopathy Medical College in Patna, a suspected middleman Harishankar Jha has also been arrested.
Jha was allegedly receiving the bribe amount, which was a part payment for the total amount agreed upon, from a hawala operator in Karol Bagh area.
CBI Spokesperson R K Gaur said here that a private university based at Rajkot (Gujarat) had applied for setting up a new Homeopathy college.

"It was alleged that...The Vice President of the said University was in a regular contact with both the President of CCH and a private person for getting inspection carried out by such team of inspectors of CCH who would give favourable inspection report," Gaur said.
Besides, Singh and Jha, others named in the FIR include R D Patel, Assistant Director, Homeopathy Department, Gujarat Government; Denish Patel, Vice President of RK University Bhavnagar, which was setting the Homoeopathy college; members of inspection team comprising Jabalpur-based Professor Rahul Shrivastava; Ashok Konar of National Institute of Homeopathy, Kolkata; and Ashwini Arya of J R Kissan Homoeopathy college, Rohtak.

R K University wanted to set up the Homeopathy college for which mandatory clearance was required from Central Council of Homeopathy (CCH), which accords it after inspection and deliberation among its various committees.

It is alleged that Denish Patel roped in R D Patel to get this done. RD Patel in turn approached Singh through Jha.
Singh allegedly deputed a team-- comprising Shrivastava, Konar and Arya-- which conducted the inspection in September, the sources said.
"The president of CCH had allegedly demanded illegal gratification and the part amount of which Rs 20 lakh was to be delivered in New Delhi and the same was to be collected from a hawala operator," Gaur said.

He said CBI laid a trap to apprehend the accused persons.
Jha had obtained an alleged bribe of Rs 20 lakh on behalf of then president of CCH, CBI alleged in the FIR.
"Searches were conducted at Delhi, Rohtak, Gurgaon, Rajkot, Gandhinagar, Jabalpur and Kolkata, including (at) the official & residential premises of accused persons and others which led to recovery of incriminating documents. A sum of Rs. 21.5 lakh (approx) was also recovered from the residence of private person at Gurgaon," Gaur said.