Ramadoss appears in court, bailable warrant cancelled

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A Delhi court on Tuesday cancelled its bailable warrants against former Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss after he appeared before it in a corruption case, involving grant of allegedly illegal permission by him to a medical college to admit students.

The former minister faces prosecution for allegedly granting permission to the college, which had no sufficient faculty members or clinical infrastructure to run the course.

Special CBI judge Talwant Singh recalled its July 7 order of issuance of bailable warrants against PMK leader Ramadoss, who also moved his bail plea through his counsel Pramod Dubey.

The court issued notice to the CBI for July 20 to reply on his bail plea. The court recalled its warrant against Ramadoss after PMK leader assured the court that "it (the absence from court proceedings despite summons) won't happen again".

"Doctor Ramadoss is present in the court. Since accused has appeared in the court today following the order of July 7, the bailable warrant issued against him is recalled and cancelled," the judge said.

On July 7, the court had issued bailable warrant against Ramadoss saying he was 'intentionally avoiding' its summons and failing to appear before it. Ramadoss has been charge-sheeted for allegedly abusing his official position in permitting Indore-based Index Medical College Hospital and Research Centre (IMCHRC) to admit students without having sufficient faculty members and clinical infrastructure.

The CBI in its 36-page charge sheet had named Ramadoss and nine others, including two senior government officials and two doctors of Safdarjung Hospital here, besides five persons associated with the private hospital in Indore which allegedly gained 'pecuniary advantage' in 2008.

Besides Ramadoss, who was the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare from May 2004 to April 2009 in UPA-I government, the CBI has also named in its charge sheet Cabinet Secretariat Director K.V.S. Rao, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's (MHFW) Section Officer Sudershan Kumar and Dr J.S. Dhupia and Dr Dipendra Kumar Gupta of Safdarjung Hospital.

Charge sheet was also filed against IMCHRC Chairman Suresh Singh Bhadoria, its former Dean Dr S.K. Tongia and Medical Director Dr K.K. Saxena, besides Nitin Gothwal and Dr Pawan Bhambani. In response to the summons, accused Rao, Kumar, Dhupia, Gupta and Bhadoria had appeared before the court on July 7 and filed their bail pleas. Bhadoria is already on bail.

The court had issued notice to the CBI to file replies on their bail applications and kept it for further hearing on July 20. The judge had also sought the presence of a CBI official and a Chennai police personnel before it on July 20 to explain as to why summons were not served to Ramadoss.

According to the charge sheet, Ramadoss and other accused conspired with each other in permitting IMCHRC admission for second year despite the fact that the Medical Council of India (MCI) and a committee appointed by the Supreme Court had 'repeatedly recommended' that IMCHRC was not having sufficient faculty and clinical material required as per MCI norms.

The MCI had made it clear that permission may not be granted to IMCHRC due to deficiencies observed by its inspectors. According to the CBI, the accused had entered into a conspiracy in which IMCHRC gained pecuniary advantage in the form of grant of permission for admission of second batch of MBBS students for academic year 2008-09 ignoring the MCI's recommendations.

Ramadoss, Rao, Kumar and the two doctors of Safdarjung Hospital have been charged by the CBI under section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC along with offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Bhadoria and other four have been charged with offences of cheating and forgery. Bhadoria also faces charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act.