CBI raids Pharmacy Council of India chief Montu Patel's residence in Ahmedabad amid corruption charges

Ahmedabad: Three days after registering an FIR, a team of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday allegedly raided the residential premises of the president of Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) at two locations in Ahmedabad. The PCI president is accused of large scale corruption, right from his election to granting approval to pharmacy colleges.

CBI officials refused to divulge information related to the raids but said that the operations are based on the FIR registered with its Delhi branch on June 30. The FIR accuses PCI's president Dr Montu M Patel of criminal conspiracy, cheating, obtaining bribes, bribing public servants by private persons, among other charges.

PCI is a statutory body under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. The FIR is based on a complaint filed by Amit Biswas, under secretary, ministry of health and family welfare, New Delhi on March 15, 2023.

A preliminary enquiry revealed several illegalities in running of the PCI. The FIR states enquiry found several "irregularities and manipulation in the PCI election in 2022, nepotism, co-opting of six members to the executive committee in violation of pharmacy act and grant of approval for pharmacy colleges."

The enquiry allegedly revealed that Patel, who was contesting the election for the PCI president post, allegedly threw a party at a hotel for 12 central council members of the PCI, who were the voters. Patel is alleged to have paid Rs2.75 lakh for hosting the lavish party for the members. The FIR states that after the election, Patel appointed 31 people as members of the PCI and gave them key positions in violation of the laws.

It says that Patel elected Nilimenka Das as Member of executive committee and six others as co-opted members to take control of the executive committee which he was heading. These members were given a blanket permission to be part of the committee for a year and were involved in the decision making process for approval of new colleges and institutions.

The FIR lists the name of six colleges which were approved by the executive committee headed by Patel despite negative reports submitted by field inspectors. These colleges are SSD College of Pharmacy, Gagan College of Pharmacy, Noorpur Aligarh, Shanti Devi Jain Degree College, Shahpur, Muzzaffarnagar, Veer Shivaji College of Pharmacy, Sarhari,Gorakhpur nd Subhawati College of Pharmacy, Ghazipur, all in Uttar Pradesh.

Two other individuals named in the FIR are Dr Vinod Kumar Tiwari, a resident of Faizabad and Santosh Kumar Jha, a resident of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh. Citing an example of "major irregularities" in grant of approval, the FIR says that co-accused Jha, a primary teacher, received Rs95,000 through bank and over Rs10 lakh in cash from third accused Tiwari "in lieu of managing the inspection of Rameshwar Prasad Satya Narayana Mahavidyalaya and getting approval from PCI."

It says that the concerned inspector had given negative remarks yet the college, located in Ayodhya, received approval from the executive council which was led by Patel. The preliminary enquiry also found the college in bad condition.