Ex-RG Kar Principal Sandip Ghosh Made Illegal Appointments, Siphoned Funds: CBI Tells Court

Kolkata: In serious charges, the Central Bureau of Investigation has told a special court that former RG Kar Medical College principal Dr Sandip Ghosh siphoned funds and made 84 illegal appointments in 2022 and 2023.

CBI, which is investigating the rape and murder of a junior doctor, as well as alleged financial irregularities against Ghosh at the state-run hospital, made the submissions recently before a special court in Alipore where Ghosh was produced with three others — Biplab Singha, Suman Hazra and Afsar Ali – who are also in the central agency’s custody.

Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials on Friday raided the residence of Ghosh and a few close aides of his in connection with the alleged financial scam.

“It is suspected that Dr Sandip Ghosh surpassed the process and straightaway appointed house staffers of his choice without adopting a transparent method for the same. The sole purpose of these discrepancies appears to be to pick and choose candidates of his choice. For 2024, a 13-member committee was formed for selection, merit list as well as counselling of house staffship for MBBS was prepared,” CBI said in court.

“All the documents such as resolution, final merit score have been signed by all committee members and final order of selection staff has been signed by Dr Sandip Ghosh, Principal, RG Kar, Medical College. But the documents with respect to selection for the years 2022 and 2023, does not contain resolution, detailed calculation of marks. They simply contain final marks and final order for selection of 84 candidates. Whereas in these selection procedures too, committees were formed but the signature of committee members is missing in the mark-sheet and other documents.”

Also Read: RG Kar Ex-Principal Sandip Ghosh ‘Trafficked Bio-Medical Waste, Sold Unclaimed Bodies’

On financial irregularities, CBI said that during investigation, instances have come up which “indicate siphoning of funds by way of managing tender in a collusive manner and the money thereafter reaching to the accused persons of this case. Further verification/investigation in this regard is going on.”

Pointing out the beneficiaries, CBI submitted: “It is primarily revealed that Dr Sandip Ghosh showed undue favour to M/s Khama Louha by way of awarding space on rent for running a café under due to clout of Chandan Louha with influential people…. the firms which were awarded contracts, i.e. M/s Maa Tara Traders, M/s Hazra Medical, Nisha Enterprises (controlled and operated by Sk Afsar Ali Khan) etc, were awarded multiple works just below Rs 1 lakhs in order to be eligible for the quotation process for procurement of limited tendering. Multiple bills have been seized in which amounts are just below Rs 1 lakhs. Similarly multiple instances have been identified wherein the amount limit has been kept a few rupees below Rs 10000 in order to avoid quotations at all.”

The state administration is under fire for extending ‘special treatment’ to Ghosh.

Having been appointed as RG Kar principal in 2021, Ghosh was transferred to a medical college in Murshidabad in September 2023. However, he returned to RG Kar Medical College within a month and was at the helm when the horrific crime came to light on August 9.

He resigned on August 12, but was immediately handed another posting — at Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital.

The Calcutta High Court had to step in and order him to go on leave.

Following his arrest by CBI earlier this week, Ghosh was finally suspended.