BHOPAL – India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has exposed one of the country’s most brazen educational frauds, implicating 35 figures—including a godman, ex-UGC chief, and institute heads—in a sprawling bribery scheme that corruptly approved substandard medical colleges across six states.
Biometric Deception at Indore’s Index Medical College
At the heart of the scandal lies Index Medical College, Indore, where chairman Suresh Singh Bhadoria allegedly used cloned artificial fingertips to manipulate biometric attendance, falsely marking pretend faculty as present. Investigators have described the misuse as “biometric attendance fraud,” enabling ghost teaching staff to pass inspections.
This came to light after raids at Raipur’s Rawatpura Sarkar Institute triggered a nationwide probe revealing common tactics—leaked inspection dates, staged inspections with dummy faculty and patients, manipulated biometrics, bribes routed via hawala and temple funds, and forged faculty credentials.
Godman, Ex-UGC Chief & Bureaucrats Under Fire
The FIR names a wide web of powerful actors:
- Ex-UGC Chairman D. P. Singh, now TISS Chancellor;
- Self-styled godman Rawatpura Sarkar;
- Health ministry and National Medical Commission (NMC) officials who leaked confidential inspection data;
- Middlemen like Jitu Lal Meena, accused of channelling bribes to the tune of crores, even funding a ₹75 lakh temple .
Southern colleges in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, such as Gayatri Medical College (Visakhapatnam) and Father Colombo Institute (Warangal), allegedly paid between ₹50 lakh to ₹4 crore to secure fake approvals.
Examining the Extent and Impact
The scam’s reach is vast: more than 40 medical colleges across Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, Karnataka, and parts of northern India are under scrutiny. At least eight arrests have been made so far, including three NMC doctors caught taking a ₹55 lakh bribe in Raipur. Several more are being interrogated as CBI pursues hawala networks and document trails.
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Quality of Medical Education at Stake
Regulators confirm that implicated colleges will not be granted MBBS or postgraduate seat expansions for the upcoming academic year. NMC has blacklisted certain assessors and halted recognitions until compliance is verified .
Critics warn that rampant corruption in medical education weakens the integrity of India’s healthcare system, allowing unqualified graduates to enter the workforce. Calls are rising for institutional reform—including digitalized inspections, mandatory biometric verification, and independent audits.
About the Author – Anirudh Mittal is a B.Sc. LL.B. (Hons.) student at National Forensic Sciences University, Gandhinagar, with a keen interest in corporate law and tech-driven legal change