TRANSPLANT SCAM: ACCUSED DIDN’T MAINTAIN CASE RECORDS

MUMBAI: While seeking the custody of the two men accused in the kidney transplant bribery case unearthed recently, the anti-corruption bureau (ACB) on Saturday alleged that the inward-outward register for kidney transplant files coming to JJ Hospital for clearance was not maintained deliberately by one of them. It also said another witness has come forward with similar allegations against one of the accused.

The accused – Tushar Jayaram Savarkar, 34, a social service superintendent at JJ Hospital and Sachin Salve, 32, an organ transplant co-ordinator at SL Raheja Hospital – were sent to judicial custody by the court on Saturday. The two were arrested after Salve was caught accepting a bribe of ₹80,000 on behalf of Savarkar, to facilitate the kidney transplant of 40-year-old Jalaluddin Khan, on October 1. The trap had been set up by ACB after Khan’s complaint. “It was found that the files coming from different hospitals to JJ Hospital for clearance from state authorisation committee (SAC) were not noted in any inward-outward register book. Did Savarkar do this on the orders of his seniors or was this deliberately done to save himself?” the ACB asked, while seeking his custody. The SAC is responsible for authorising applications for transplants in cases where the donor and recipient are either distant relatives, or are unrelated. The body was suspended after the arrest of the duo.

The ACB stated that 539 files were handled by Savarkar. “We are scanning the files. It was found that to clear some files, money was accepted. A witness has also come forward stating that Savarkar demanded and accepted money to issue a no-objection certificate. He may put pressure on the witness if bailed.”

Prakash J Salsingikar, who represented the accused, stated that their custody is not required and that ACB has not made any progress in the case. “We will later move for their bail.”