The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday registered a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act against former judge IM Quddusi, who was a judge of the Allahabad High Court as well as the former acting chief justice of Odisha High Court, and seven others for allegedly conspiring to 'settle' a Medical Council of India (MCI) debarment order against a private medical college.
The CBI also carried out raids at the retired judge's residence in connection with a leak of sensitive information relating to inspections, recognition of courses, administrative decisions, and action contemplated by the MCI against some medical colleges.
The agency conducted simultaneous raids at eight places in Delhi and Bhubaneswar.
Apart from Quddusi, the others named in the FIR are Bhawana Pandey, a resident of N-7, Greater Kailash 1 in New Delhi, who is a close aide of the retired judge, BP Yadav, Palash Yadav, and Sudhir Giri of Venkateshwara Medical College in Meerut, Biswanath Agrawala, a resident of HIG-136, Phase I, Kanan Vihar in Bhubaneswar, and some other unknown individuals.
The CBI filed the FIR under Section-8 of Prevention of Corruption Act 1988 and Section 120-B which pertains to criminal conspiracy of the Indian Penal Code.
The CBI is probing Justice (retired) Quddusi's alleged role in a racket involving the opening of medical colleges in Uttar Pradesh. The CBI charged him with acting as a conduit between the authorities of the private colleges and MCI officials to fix deals that would ensure MCI recognition for colleges that were struggling to get it.
According to the FIR, Prasad Institute of Medical Science in Lucknow was among the 46 medical institutes that were barred by the government from admitting new students because of infrastructure shortcomings.
"Information further revealed that BP Yadav and Palash Yadav have been pursuing this matter by having regular meetings in New Delhi and had challenged the debarment in the Apex Court in Writ Petition," it said.
The apex court had on August 1, 2017, directed the government to review the issue of confirmation of the letter of permission. The government heard the matter and debarred the college from taking admissions for two sessions -- 2017-18 and 2018-19, and authorised the MCI to encash the college's bank guarantee of Rs 2 crore.
The CBI said that BP Yadav got in touch with Justice (retired) Quddusi and Pandey through Giri, and requested them for help.
The agency laid a trap and recovered Rs 1 crore from Agrawala in Delhi which he had allegedly received from a hawala operator, Ram Dev Saraswat. Also during the searches, Rs 85 lakh were recovered from the hawala operator and Rs 5 lakh from Pandey.
LAWYERS PROTEST
- CBI goofed up during the raids by barging into a sitting Odisha judge house. This led to protest by the lawyers across the state.
- On the basis of sitting judge complaint, Odisha police has registered a case against CBI sleuths for raiding house.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "CBI")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}