ED files 1st chargesheet; CBI issues warrant against Akhter Ali

Kolkata: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed its first chargesheet in the R G Kar Hospital corruption case, naming former principal Sandip Ghosh along with vendors and their agencies supplying equipment and services.

Separately, an arrest warrant has been issued against Akhter Ali, former Deputy Superintendent (non-technical) of the hospital, in a corruption case being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The allegations of financial irregularities emerged during the investigation into the rape and murder of a Post Graduate Trainee (PGT) doctor on duty at R G Kar Hospital on August 9. A separate corruption case was later registered at Tala Police Station against Sandip Ghosh and others on a complaint by Debal Ghosh, Special Secretary of the state Health Department.

On the Calcutta High Court’s orders, the CBI took over both cases. The ED subsequently registered a case and launched a parallel probe into the corruption angle.

The ED has alleged that corruption continued for over three years, with Sandip Ghosh awarding purchase orders for medical equipment to vendors such as Suman Hazra and Biplab Singha and their agencies without a tender process.

Meanwhile, Akhter Ali, who had earlier flagged alleged corruption at the hospital, has been named in the CBI chargesheet. The agency alleged his involvement in the corruption. Despite repeated summons, he failed to appear before the Special CBI Court in Alipore and instead sought anticipatory bail from the Calcutta High Court, which was recently rejected. Mpost