KOLKATA: The anti-corruption branch of the CBI on Saturday re-registered an FIR in the alleged financial irregularities at the R G Kar Medical College and Hospital following an order from the Calcutta High Court on Friday. The agency named former R G Kar Medical College principal Sandip Ghosh in the FIR.
On Saturday morning, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Kolkata Police, which had earlier started a probe, handed over the documents to the officers of the anti-corruption branch in Kolkata at its Nizam Palace office.The HC had earlier asked police to hand over documents to CBI by 10.30 am on Saturday. A team of CBI officers and lawyers later went to the Chief Judicial Magistrate at the Alipore Court to submit a copy of the FIR. The matter is likely to be taken up by the special CBI court at Alipore on Tuesday.
Earlier on Friday, the court had issued directives on the basis of a petition filed by former deputy superintendent of R G Kar Medical College and Hospital Akhtar Ali who sought a probe by the Enforcement Directorate. Later at night, CBI officers held a meeting and officials at Delhi joined the meeting virtually.
The FIR lodged by the Kolkata Police pertains to criminal conspiracy and cheating of the IPC and section 7 of Prevention of Corruption Act 1988. The complaint was lodged by IAS Debal Kumar Ghosh around Apr 2022. The allegations claimed a 'possible criminal nexus' between Ghosh and 'certain unscrupulous contractors' and 'collusive bidding' for several works on the hospital premises.
The Swasthya Bhavan complaint stated, "Upon examination of the complaint, it has transpired during departmental investigation that there is a criminal nexus between Ghosh and certain unscrupulous contractors leading to award of various works of R G Kar Medical College & Hospital, Kolkata to them. The findings have revealed collusive bidding or bid rigging leading to award of such works to one cafeteria and two trading firms that were awarded the contract of running a cafeteria in an apparent instance of collusive bidding."
CBI will now go through contracts awarded at RG Kar during his tenure from 2021. The HC has also asked CBI to submit a progress report on the probe within three weeks. The court has scheduled the next hearing on Sep 17. "We have not gone through the FIR copy so far. Earlier, he could not appear before the SIT as he was being asked to appear before CBI," said a lawyer handling Ghosh's cases.