Homoeopathy council chief held on graft charge

Syed Ali Ahmed

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, October 22

The CBI has arrested Central Council of Homoeopathy (CCH) president Ramjee Singh and suspected middleman Harishankar Jha in an alleged bribery case of Rs 20 lakh for giving a favourable inspection report for opening a homoeopathy college in Gujarat, CBI spokesperson RK Gaur said.

Searches were conducted in Delhi, Rohtak, Gurgaon, Rajkot, Gandhinagar, Jabalpur and Kolkata, including official and residential premises of the accused and incriminating documents were seized. A sum of around Rs 21.5 lakh was seized from the residence of Harishankar Jha at Gurgaon.

Others allegedly involved in the racket were Dr RD Patel, Assistant Director (Homoeopathy), Indian Systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy (Ayush), Health and Family Welfare, Gujarat; Danis K Patel one of the trustees and vice-president of RK University, Rajkot; Dr Rahul Srivastava, professor, Homoeopathy Medical College, Jabalpur; Dr Ashok Konar of the National Institute of Homoeopathy Department of Ayush, Union Government, posted in Kolkata and Dr Ashwani Arya, professor at JR Kisan Homoeopathy College, Rohtak.

A private university at Rajkot (Gujarat) had reportedly applied for setting up of a new homoeopathy college that needed a positive inspection report by the CCH.

Vice-president of the university contacted CCH president and his associate Hari Shankar Jha for getting inspection carried out by a team of experts for a favourable report.