Biggest medical education scam uncovered; ‘Guruji’s’ link to Godman, Health Ministry in bribery network
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has unearthed a large-scale corruption racket involving senior Health Ministry officials, members of the National Medical Commission (NMC), and representatives of several private medical colleges.
A total of 34 individuals have been named in an FIR for allegedly manipulating the medical college inspection and approval process in exchange for hefty bribes.
The accused include eight officials from the Union Health Ministry, one from the National Health Authority, and five doctors from the NMC’s inspection team. Among the prominent names are DP Singh, Chairman of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences; Mayur Raval, Registrar of Gitanjali University; Ravi Shankar ji Maharaj, Chairman of Rawatpura Institute of Medical Sciences and Research; and Suresh Singh Bhadoria, Chairman of Index Medical College.
According to officials, eight people have been arrested so far, including three NMC doctors who allegedly accepted Rs 55 lakh to provide a favourable inspection report for the Rawatpura Institute in Naya Raipur.
The CBI alleges that key officials leaked confidential inspection schedules, assessor details, and internal file notes to private medical colleges through a network of intermediaries in return for bribes. This allowed colleges to manipulate inspections by preparing fraudulent setups, using proxy faculty, admitting fake patients, and tampering with biometric systems using cloned fingerprints.
Indra Bali Mishra, popularly known as ‘Guruji’ is also an accused.
The agency alleges that Guruji acted as a crucial conduit in the multi-layered corruption network involving senior officials from the Union Health Ministry, members of the National Medical Commission (NMC), and representatives of private medical colleges.
According to the FIR filed by the CBI, Guruji, a resident of Varanasi, maintained direct contact with Jeetu Lal Meena, a whole-time member of the Medical Assessment and Rating Board under the NMC.
The CBI claims Guruji helped route large bribes, running into lakhs of rupees, to Meena in exchange for leaking confidential information and influencing inspection outcomes for medical colleges.
The money was reportedly collected by Guruji’s brother-in-law, Shivam Pandey, and passed on to Meena. Part of the bribe amount, the CBI says, was allegedly used by Meena for constructing a temple in Rajasthan’s Dausa district, bringing a religious twist to the corruption scandal.
Guruji was allegedly working on behalf of Virendra Kumar, identified by the agency as a key middleman representing several private medical colleges in southern India. These include Gayatri Medical College in Visakhapatnam and Father Colombo Institute of Medical Sciences in Warangal, whose directors are accused of paying bribes to secure favorable inspection reports and regulatory clearances.
The CBI also uncovered that dummy faculty, fake biometric attendance systems, and ghost patients were being used by these colleges to mislead NMC assessors—information they had received in advance due to leaked documents.
The investigation highlights how spiritual influence and bureaucratic corruption intersected to undermine the integrity of India’s medical education system. Guruji’s central role as a trusted go-between in this network has drawn particular attention, especially given the misuse of religious donations and influence in facilitating bribery.
With inputs from PTI
Top News