The CBI has arrested the Central Council of Homoeopathy president Ramjee Singh along with a middleman for allegedly accepting Rs. 20 lakh as bribe to give a favourable inspection report for the setting up of a homeopathy college in Gujarat.
The middleman has been identified as Harishankar Jha, who was allegedly caught first receiving money through the hawala channel. He runs two hotels at Mahipalpur in Delhi. On being questioned, Mr. Jha reportedly said that he had received the money on behalf of Dr. Singh, following which the latter was also arrested.
The CBI has filed a case of corruption and criminal conspiracy against the duo.
” The CBI on Saturday arrested president of the Central Council of Homeopathy (CCH) Dr Ramjee Singh and suspected middleman Harishankar Jha for allegedly giving clearance to a homeopathy college in Gujarat for Rs 20 lakh. CBI sources said they got information that a homeopathy college was being set up in Gujarat for which clearance was needed from the CCH — a statutory body under the central government. “CBI has arrested president of CCH (in Janakpuri, New Delhi) and an individual on allegations of accepting a bribe of Rs 20 lakh,” CBI spokesperson R.K. Gaur said. Sources said Mr Jha, who was allegedly working for Dr Singh, sought Rs 20 lakh for giving the clearance. Jha, who runs a hotel in Mahipalpur near Delhi-Gurgaon border, was caught while taking Rs 20 lakh via hawala channels. “During investigation it was found that Dr Ramjee Singh sent a three-member team including a professor from Homeopathy Medical College (Jabalpur) and two others from National Institute of Homeopathy (Kolkata) and Homeopathy College and Hospital (Rohtak) to inspect of the homeopathy college (in Gujarat),” an official familiar with the matter said. “Inspection was done in September 2016. The CCH president allegedly demanded illegal gratification and the part amount of which Rs 20 lakh was to be delivered in Delhi and collected from a hawala operator,” the official said. The CBI then laid a trap and caught the accused. Searches were also conducted in Delhi, Rohtak, Gurgaon, Rajkot, Gandhinagar, Jabalpur and Kolkata, including the official and residential premises of the accused and others, which led to the recovery of incriminating documents. CBI sleuths also found Rs 21.5 lakh on the premises of the accused. During interrogation, Mr Jha told the CBI that the bribe was meant for Dr Singh, who had demanded it for giving clearance to the college in Gujarat. Both the accused were produced before a special CBI court in New Delhi.”
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/cbi-arrests-homoeopathy-council-president/article9257085.ece
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