CBI Uncovers Massive NMC Inspection Fraud: 34 Booked Including Health Ministry & NMC Officials

The NMC has moved swiftly to blacklist the implicated assessors and has blocked MBBS and postgraduate seat expansions for some of the colleges found to have engaged in unethical practices.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has booked 34 individuals, including officials from the Union Health Ministry, the National Medical Commission (NMC), and several private medical college administrators. The accused are part of an alleged network that manipulated the inspection and regulatory processes of medical institutions in exchange for bribes.

According to the CBI’s First Information Report (FIR), confidential information related to scheduled inspections, including dates and names of appointed assessors, was leaked to certain private colleges. This allowed the institutions to stage-facilitate inspections by artificially inflating infrastructure, deploying ghost faculty, and even tampering with biometric attendance logs. In several instances, institutions presented fabricated data on patient numbers and teaching staff to qualify for approvals or renewal of permissions from the NMC.

The agency has alleged that some officials from the NMC and Health Ministry directly facilitated these manipulations. During a sting operation in Raipur, the CBI arrested eight individuals, including three doctors associated with the NMC—Dr Manjappa C.N., Dr Chaitra M.S., and Dr Ashok D. Shelke. A college administrator, Atul Kumar Tiwari, and others were also caught red-handed while facilitating a ₹55 lakh bribe, reportedly linked to the Rawatpura Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (SRIMSR). The bribes were routed through hawala channels and cash couriers, underscoring the organised nature of the operation.

The FIR also names officials from the Health Ministry, including Poonam Meena, Dharamvir, and Piyush Malyan. Prominent figures from private institutions, such as D.P. Singh of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mayur Raval of Gitanjali University, and Ravi Shankar Maharaj and Suresh Singh Bhadoria associated with SRIMSR and Index Medical College respectively, have also been booked. Additionally, individuals from Andhra Pradesh and other states were named for coordinating inspection frauds in their respective regions.

Following the expose, the NMC has moved swiftly to blacklist the implicated assessors and has blocked MBBS and postgraduate seat expansions for some of the colleges found to have engaged in unethical practices. In a press release, the commission stated that such institutions will face consequences during the 2025–26 academic session and that stricter guidelines for inspections may be introduced in the future.

The scandal has exposed major gaps in the regulatory oversight of medical institutions in India. The system that was meant to ensure quality education and infrastructure in medical colleges has instead been compromised through insider leaks, collusion, and bribes. Experts warn that such malpractice not only affects the credibility of medical education but also endangers future patient care, as unqualified institutions churn out undertrained graduates.

The CBI is expected to widen its investigation in the coming weeks, with more arrests likely. Meanwhile, a special CBI court in Raipur is handling the remand proceedings of the arrested individuals. Legal experts anticipate that some of the accused may be charged under the Prevention of Corruption Act and other sections of the Indian Penal Code.

This crackdown comes amid growing scrutiny of medical education standards in India. Policymakers and healthcare leaders have called for digitisation of the inspection and approval process, mandatory real-time publication of inspection reports, randomised assessor allocation, and independent third-party audits. The case has reignited debate around transparency and accountability within apex regulatory bodies such as the NMC, especially as the country looks to expand medical seats and improve healthcare access.

As investigations continue, the spotlight remains firmly on whether this will lead to deeper institutional reform or end up as another forgotten episode of regulatory failure. For now, the arrests have sent a strong message: corrupt practices in medical education are no longer invisible, and the accountability chain has reached the very top of India’s healthcare education system.