The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against Dr Bipin Batra, former executive director of the National Board of Examination in Medical Sciences (NBEMS), and other officials over allegations of misappropriation of funds and wrongful appointment.
This case has been registered under misuse and corruption of Rs 50 crore. It is alleged that Dr Batra was illegally appointed as Assistant Controller of Examinations in the year 2003, even though he was not eligible for the post. However, he rose to the position of Executive Director by 2010. Before the filing of an FIR in this matter, the CBI carried out searches at multiple locations linked to Dr Batra.
The case has been registered under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 120-B, 201, 409, 420, 468 and 471 and several sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
Dr Batra was terminated
In 2017, Dr Batra was removed from the position of Executive Director of NBEMS on allegations of irregularities. NBEMS is an autonomous body under the Central Ministry of Health. After his removal, an inquiry into this matter was ordered and his services were terminated in August 2018. The complaint in this case was lodged by NBEMS, and the investigation report was handed over to the CBI last month.
According to the CBI's FIR, during a seven-year period, Dr Batra managed to reach the top position at NBEMS illicitly, despite being ineligible. He was controlling the organization's functioning, even though he was ineligible for the role. The complaint in the FIR states that a significant portion of NBEMS records is missing and has been deliberately removed. Therefore, the CBI has also applied sections related to tampering with or destroying evidence in this case. The investigation report, which is part of the CBI's FIR, mentions that out of 15 allegations, 10 have been substantiated, while three have been partially proven.
"The present complaint seeks to highlight an extremely worrying and sorry state of affairs prevailed in NBEMS from November 2003 to August 2017 and that rot had seeped into the functioning of NBEMS during the said period due to the active collusion, connivance, and complicity of several officers/officials of NBEMS, including one Dr Bipin Batra. The said Dr Bipin Batra, in a short span of seven years, managed to illegally rise to and occupy the top post of NBEMS and was controlling the functioning of the organisation despite being ineligible for the initial appointment and also for the successive posts. There is no denying that this situation could not have been brought about without the rampant misuse of powers by several persons within the NBEMS, which has caused severe loss and prejudice to the organisation and its credibility," the FIR reads.
