Kolkata: The Supreme Court Friday dismissed a petition by former RG Kar Medical College and Hospital principal Dr Sandip Ghosh challenging the Calcutta High Court order initiating a CBI probe into alleged financial irregularities at the state-run facility during his tenure.
Hearing the plea, Chief Justice of India Justice D.Y. Chandrachud told Ghosh’s counsel: “As an accused you have no locus standi to intervene in the PIL.”
According to its remand application filed in a special CBI court on 3 September, a copy of which is with ThePrint, the central investigation agency has accused Ghosh of causing “diversion of funds” and receiving “kickbacks” on account of such diversions.
It alleged that Ghosh is part of a “nexus” and along with the other accused, “by way of illegal means caused wrongful loss to the government and corresponding wrongful gain to himself and other accused”. Further, the agency claimed that Ghosh ‘favoured’ a firm linked to his bodyguard for the contract of a café at RG Kar, and that he set aside due process in the selection of medical graduates or residents for housestaffship.
Ghosh was arrested by the Anti-Corruption Branch of the CBI at 9.45 pm on 2 September, following day-long interrogation at its offices in Kolkata.
Currently in CBI custody, he has been in the eye of a storm since a 31-year-old on-duty trainee doctor was raped and killed at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata on 9 August. The CBI’s Special Crimes Division is investigating that case separately.
During its searches of Ghosh’s residence, CBI claims to have seized original documents pertaining to award of contracts to vendors, original complaints against Ghosh, various enquiry reports—both copies and originals—and files that were supposed to be in his office.
“These files ought to have remained in his office but the same were found in his residence. This raises serious suspicion against Dr Sandip Ghosh as to under what circumstances he kept the files at his home,” argued the CBI.
The CBI has booked Ghosh and three others under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating), 409 (criminal breach of trust) and 467 (forgery) of the IPC and sections 7 (bribery) and 13(2) (criminal misconduct) of the Prevention of Corruption Act based on an FIR lodged against him by Kolkata Police at Tala police station on 19 August.
Asked to comment on the CBI’s claims, Ghosh’s counsel Sumitava Chakraborty told ThePrint that his client has not been found guilty and cannot be termed a criminal until the CBI can prove its allegations.
“Dr Ghosh was manhandled outside the court, and is facing not just financial fraud allegations, but social media trial has not spared his personal life either. CBI has only made allegations but not found anything to prove their charges,” said Chakraborty.
Adding, “The case was initially lodged by the West Bengal Health Department at Tala police station, but Akhtar Ali (former deputy superintendent at RG Kar) rode the public sentiment and moved court against my client. Akhtar Ali, himself has corruption allegations against him and has attempted to divert the focus.”
‘Vendors’ & ‘nexus’
In its remand application, the CBI identifies two ‘vendors’ who it alleges were part of a ‘nexus’ involving Ghosh. According to the agency, Biplab Singha and Suman Hazra have been ‘close aides’ of Ghosh since he was posted at Murshidabad Medical College.
“It is revealed that Biplab Singha used to submit quotations and other documents to make the bids competitive and finally used to get work orders in the name of one of the above firms mostly in the name of Maa Tara Traders, M/s Baba Loknath and Tiasha Enterprises. He used to participate in different tenders through his own firms,” said the CBI.
A prima facie investigation has revealed that the process adopted by Ghosh, as principal of RG Kar, for the award of contracts to companies linked to Biplab Singha was not transparent, the CBI contended in its remand application.
It also claimed to have found out that letters of work order, delegated to different officials at RG Kar, were handed to them only after being cleared by the accounts section, raising serious lapses in the process to award tenders, contracts.
The CBI said its probe also revealed how Suman Hazra and Biplab Singha “worked in tandem” to make windfall gains.
“Both participated in many tenders, which would eventually be awarded to either Singha or Hazra. Investigation has also disclosed that many works were awarded to Hazra Medical which were not related to supply of medical equipment such as sofa sets, refrigerators etc. Investigation has disclosed prima facie that after joining the nexus with Dr Sandip Ghosh, Suman Hazra’s firm’s business rose three times from 2021 to 2022,” said the CBI.
Arrested alongside Ghosh, both Hazra and Singha are also in CBI custody.
Contract to run café at RG Kar
Another character in the financial irregularities case is S.K. Afsar Ali, who worked as additional security and personal bodyguard to Ghosh.
The CBI alleges Ghosh “favoured his close aide Afsar Ali Khan” in awarding the contract of café at the premises of RG Kar to a firm of which Khan’s wife is the proprietor.
“The contract was awarded in a predetermined manner as it was the only eligible firm fulfilling the technical criteria to participate in the tender out of the total four bidders. Moreover, the bid amounts have been handwritten on all the four bids by one and the same person. Dr Sandip Ghosh also refunded non-refundable caution money of Rs 1 lakh deposited by the café. It is disclosed from preliminary investigation that Dr Sandip Ghosh also made wrongful gain,” claimed CBI in its remand application.
West Bengal BJP in an undated video it shared on X (formerly Twitter) on 27 August claimed it showed RG Kar’s current principal Manas Bandyopadhyay asking Ali about his role. In the video, Bandyopadhyay is heard telling Ali brashly, “you can call CM didi”.
Afsar Ali Khan, Sandip Ghosh's enforcer from Belgachia, has built an empire off syndicate cash, now flaunting a ₹40 lakh car at R.G. Kar Hospital.
Last year, this muscle-for-hire was seen in the Deputy Superintendent's office, speaking with Dr. Manas Banerjee, the Principal.… pic.twitter.com/bOfJT2HCYN
— BJP West Bengal (@BJP4Bengal) August 27, 2024
ThePrint could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
Housestaffship selection
In its remand application, CBI also said it suspects Ghosh did not follow due process in selection of medical graduates, or residents, for housestaffship—training in hospitals.
“For 2024, a 13-member committee was formed for selection, merit list as well as counselling of Housestaffship for MBBS was prepared. All the documents such as resolution, final merit score have been signed by all committee members and final order of selection staff has been signed by Dr Sandip Ghosh, principal, RG Kar, Medical College.
“But the documents with respect to selection for the years 2022 and 2023, does not contain resolution, detailed calculation of marks. They simply contain final marks and final order for selection of 84 candidates. Whereas in these selection procedures too, committees were formed but the signature of committee members is missing in the mark-sheet and other documents,” said the CBI.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
Also Read: RG Kar Hospital’s resident doctors have deserted the campus. Those left behind are living in fear
Good attempt by Ms. Dey to cover-up Mr. Sandeep Ghosh and his buddies criminal activities.
Ms. Dey has been in charge of this story (presumably because she is based out of Kolkata) and has made every possible attempt to insinuate that the TMC top leadership including Ms. Mamata Banerjee is not complicit in these crimes. The Kolkata Police and it’s Commisioner have also been spared by Ms. Dey.
Her support and admiration for TMC/Mamata knows no bounds.