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Business Standard
04-07-2025
- Business Standard
CBI searches Pharmacy Council of India chief's home over irregularities
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has carried out searches at the residence of Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) President Montu M Patel in connection with a case involving alleged corruption and irregularities in the approval of pharmacy colleges, officials said on Friday, as quoted by Press Trust of India (PTI). The searches were conducted in the Ahmedabad residence, according to a report by Ahmedabad Mirror. A first information report (FIR) in relation to the same allegations was filed against Patel last week. The probe was initiated following a complaint from the Secretary of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. A preliminary enquiry (PE) by the agency pointed to suspected manipulation in the inspection and recognition processes for pharmacy colleges across several states, PTI reported. Officials said, 'The facts during PE prima facie reveal that Montu Kumar Patel, in criminal conspiracy with unknown members of the Executive Committee, gave approval in favour of the aforesaid institutions in lieu of undue gains obtained for self or others.' From offline to online inspections The enquiry report, according to PTI, also noted a shift in the inspection method during Patel's tenure. Until December 2022, college inspections were carried out in person by PCI teams, and decisions were based on standardised reports. However, in 2023–24, under Patel, the Council adopted an online system using a Standard Inspection Format (SIF) and conducted inspections through video conferencing. Between April 24 and May 5, 2023, 908 applications were received through a Google form link; 870 of these were shortlisted for online inspections. A case cited in the FIR involved Rameshwar Prasad Satya Narayan Mahavidyalaya in Ayodhya, which received approval for a D Pharma course despite an online inspection lasting only eight minutes and identifying multiple deficiencies, including the absence of a principal. Based on the compliance report by the institute, Patel accorded approval to the institute to conduct the course despite a negative report from the inspectors, the officials said, according to PTI. Investigations revealed that the institution was owned by Vinod Kumar Tiwari, who allegedly paid more than ₹10 lakh in cash and another ₹95,000 via banking channels to an intermediary, identified as Santosh Kumar Jha, a primary school teacher. The money was purportedly for facilitating inspection, arranging infrastructure such as lab equipment and faculty, and securing PCI approval, the report added. Upon visiting the premises, the CBI reportedly found a derelict structure with no operational facilities or students. The agency has flagged similar issues in at least 23 institutions located in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Rajasthan. These include SSD College of Pharmacy, Gagan College of Pharmacy, Shanti Devi Jain Degree College, Heyward College of Pharmacy, Veer Shivaji College of Pharmacy, and Subhawati College of Pharmacy. All were granted approval by the EC led by Patel despite adverse inspection reports. Irregularities in EC election The CBI has also raised concerns over how the PCI's Executive Committee was constituted. It alleged that at the 114th Central Council meeting on April 6, 2022—originally convened to elect the PCI president—Patel extended the agenda to appoint Nilimenka Das as an EC member and brought in six co-opted members. These members were reportedly granted sweeping rights to participate in committee decisions throughout the year, including those on college approvals. Further, several key decisions were allegedly made without following standard voting procedures, including unauthorised changes to the digital portal and irregular seat allocations in pharmacy colleges, PTI reported.
Time of India
04-07-2025
- Time of India
CBI searches premises of Pharmacy Council of India chief in corruption case
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The CBI has conducted searches at the premises of Pharmacy Council of India (PCI) President Montu M Patel after he was booked for alleged corruption and systemic irregularities in the inspection and approval processes for pharmacy colleges, officials said on action against Patel was taken based on the findings of a preliminary enquiry (PE) which showed instances of alleged corruption, control and potential manipulation in granting approvals to colleges, besides initial allegations against him of pre-election inducements and post-election its enquiry based on a complaint from the Union health ministry secretary, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) scrutinised the methods by which pharmacy colleges received accreditation, revealing a departure from the established norms and a lack of PE showed that up to December 2022, inspections were conducted in offline mode, necessitating visits to college sites by PCI teams and the preparation of reports in a standard reports, along with compliance reports, were then considered by the Executive Committee (EC) for is alleged that under Patel, key changes were made in 2023-24 during the 391st EC meeting, effectively discontinuing the practice of physical inspections altogether and replacing it with Standard Inspection Format (SIF) applications online and conducting inspections through video conferencing, the officials applications were invited through a Google link from April 24 to May 5, 2023. A total of 908 applications were received and 870 of these were shortlisted for online inspections, they online inspections opened the doors for alleged corruption, with the prime example cited in the FIR being the case of Rameshwar Prasad Satya Narayan Mahavidyalaya in a recorded 8-minute online inspection on July 3, 2023, which noted the absence of the principal and non-compliant infrastructure, the EC, in its meeting, granted the institute five days to submit compliance via affidavit, according to the on the compliance report, Patel accorded approval to the institute to conduct a D. Pharma course despite a negative report from the inspectors, the officials said the agency found in its enquiry that the college was owned and controlled by Vinod Kumar Tiwari, who allegedly paid over Rs 10 lakh in cash and an additional Rs 95,000 through banking channels to Santosh Kumar Jha, a primary payment was allegedly for "managing the inspection and obtaining approval and for arranging infrastructural facilities like books, lab setup, faculty, and PCI approval", they CBI visited the institute only to find a dilapidated building with no faculty, infrastructure, or students, they agency has highlighted widespread deficiencies in 23 approved colleges in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan during Patel's least six colleges -- SSD College of Pharmacy, Gagan College of Pharmacy, Shanti Devi Jain Degree College, Heyward College of Pharmacy, Veer Shivaji College of Pharmacy and Subhawati College of Pharmacy -- were approved by the EC headed by Patel despite negative reports from inspectors, the CBI has alleged."The facts during PE prima facie reveal that Montu Kumar Patel, in criminal conspiracy with unknown members of EC, gave approval in favour of the aforesaid institutions in lieu of undue gains obtained for self or others," the FIR other instances of manipulation of PCI functioning, the agency said, the scope of the agenda for the 114th Central Council meeting on April 6, 2022, was to elect the CBI alleged that Patel went beyond the scope of the agenda to elect Nilimenka Das as an EC member and six others as co-opted members, thereby "wresting control of the Executive Committee".These co-opted members were allegedly given blanket permission to be part of the EC for the whole year and participate in decision-making, including college approvals, it several EC decisions were made without putting items to vote, which included manipulation of digital portal access and irregular seat adjustments in pharmacy colleges, it CBI also underlined the pattern of ostensible electoral manipulation leading up to the PCI presidential elections on April 6, is alleged that on April 2, 2022, merely four days before the decisive vote, presidential aspirant Patel booked 15 rooms at the Hotel Connaught here from April 3 to April 6, 2022, spending over Rs 2.75 lakh on accommodation and food and and 12 other members of the Central Council, who were also eligible voters in the April 6, 2022, election, were accommodated in these rooms, the PE arrangement strongly suggests a concerted effort to influence voters or extend undue advantage in the immediate run-up to the election in which Patel was a primary candidate, the agency has alleged.
