CBI registers case against MCI officials, carries out searches

The CBI today carried out searches at the official and residential premises of senior Medical Council of India officials and a Medical College in Thiruvananthapurm after registering a case of alleged cheating and corruption against them.
The probe agency conducted searches at the residential and official premises of MCI Additional Secretary Prasanna Raj, Deputy Secretary Anshu Sethi Bajaj, ex-consultant Madhu Handa and Principal of Somervell Medical College, Samson Nessaih, CBI sources said.
"The CBI has registered a case against Additional Secretary, Deputy Secretary, then Assistant Secretary of MCI and a Principal of private Medical College at Thiruvanthapuram (Kerala)...Under section 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating) of IPC and 13(2) read with 13(1)(d) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988...," CBI spokesperson said here today.

She said that it is alleged old and pending application of said medical college, seeking PG seats was dealt and processed unauthorisedly in MCI and Letter of Permission issued after the last date of March 31, 2012.
"It is further alleged that the deficiencies pointed out by the assessors in their inspection report in 2011 still prevailed in said medical college and machines which were to be installed before sending the compliance to MCI were actually installed after that date," the spokesperson said.
She said the bank guarantee which was mentioned to have been submitted by the said college to MCI along with the compliance letter was not actually submitted on time.

"The said college was not granted Letter of Permission (LoP) for preceding year because of the said reasons. The undue favours were allegedly shown to said medical college on the part of the MCI officials by ignoring the relevant regulations, and necessary permissions were granted which resulted in significant pecuniary benefits to the private medical college," CBI alleged.
The spokesperson alleged the Principal of said medical college in conspiracy with MCI officials allegedly submitted false information for the purpose of getting the required permission and hence cheated the MCI.