Two IAS officers, 11 others booked by CBI

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered an FIR against two IAS officers and 11 others in connection with its probe into irregularities in admissions to postgraduate medical courses in private medical colleges in Puducherry.

Puducherry’s health secretary BR Babu and Central Admission Committee (CENTAC) chairman Narendra Kumar were booked along with six other government servants. The rest are office-bearers of medical colleges.

The probe agency said the public servants abused their official position and entered into a criminal conspiracy with private hospital officials and allegedly cheated bona fide students who were issued provisional admission certificate during counselling by the CENTAC. These students were later denied the seats they were allocated.

According to the FIR, in all, 96 eligible students could not get admission because of the irregularities and their seats were given to ineligible candidates after collecting ‘exorbitant admission fees’.

According to the FIR, though CENTAC issued provisional admission certificates, no efforts were made by public servants to verify the number of students who had not joined the courses. While calculating vacancies, it was shown by the CENTAC counselling authorities on their website that all the students who have issued with provisional admission certificates were admitted in the colleges.

Among the seven medical institutes, three are self-financing colleges and four are deemed Universities.

The CBI alleged that the fee committee had revised the fee substantially which could be charged from the government quota and management quota students by the three self-financing colleges. Besides, four deemed universities also refused to admit bona fide students in spite of orders of the Madras high court and admitted students not sponsored by CENTAC by taking huge fee.

ACCORDING TO THE FIR, IN ALL, 96 ELIGIBLE STUDENTS COULD NOT GET ADMISSION BECAUSE OF THE IRREGULARITIES