Custodial interrogation ordered

STAFF REPORTER

A CBI Special Court on Thursday ordered custodial interrogation of S. Murukesan, member, Dental Council of India (DCI), and three others who were arrested in connection with a scam in granting approval to postgraduate courses.

On Tuesday, the CBI arrested Dr Murukesan, K. Ramabadran, R. Karunanidhi, administrators of Adhiparasakthi Dental College and Hospital, Melmaruvattur, and T. Palani, former MLA.

The allegation against the DCI member was that he had demanded a bribe of Rs.1 crore and accepted Rs.25 lakh for the DCI approval to postgraduate courses.

After hearing the submissions of both sides, T. Ravindran, Judge, Additional Special Court for CBI cases, granted the investigating agency four-day custody of the accused. The judge also specified certain conditions to be observed by CBI during the period of interrogation.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/custodial-interrogation-ordered/article4296949.ece

DCI members want Murukesan out

BINDU SHAJAN PERAPPADAN & DEVESH K. PANDEY

A day after the Central Bureau of Investigation arrested Dr. S. Murukesan, a member of the Dental Council of India (DCI), for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs. 1 crore, DCI members wrote to their president demanding that his membership be cancelled with immediate effect. Dr. Murukesan had allegedly demanded the bribe for granting approval to a private college in Tamil Nadu to start a post-graduate dental course.

In his letter to the DCI, Central government nominee and Council member Dr. Joseph Isaac said: “Dr. Murukesan has been caught red-handed by the CBI for taking a bribe of Rs. 25 lakh [paid initially as advance in Chennai — with the total demand being Rs. 1 crore]. The bribe was demanded from a private college management in Tamil Nadu.”

According to the CBI, the private dental college/hospital, Melmaruvathur (Tamil Nadu), had applied to the DCI for permission to start a post-graduate dental course in 2012. In pursuance of that, the Council conducted a pre-verification inspection to ascertain the availability of infrastructure and facilities and certain deficiencies were detected. The Council had then instructed the dental college principal to comply with the pre-set requirement.

“The management of the dental college had deputed its administrative officer to approach member DCI residing in Chennai for getting the approval and it was then that Dr. Murukesan asked for the bribe. The CBI arrested the accused red-handed and has also arrested three other private persons/officials in the alleged bribery case” said a CBI spokesperson.

Meanwhile, stating that it is shameful to continue retaining Dr. Murukesan as a member of the DCI any more, Dr. Isaac said: “The accused has be to removed from the Council with immediate effect in the interest of the profession and also to protect the dignity  of the statutory body.”

He added that the decision should also be taken to immediately remove Advocate Yashwant, Dr. Murukesan’s brother, who is the DCI standing counsel in the Madras High Court. “If the Council delays this, we will invite not only criticism, but also suspicion,” he said.

• He was caught by CBI accepting a bribe of Rs. 25 lakhs
• ‘He has to be removed in the interest of the profession’

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/dci-members-want-murukesan-out/article4292906.ece

Dental Council member caught taking bribe from college staff, both arrested

IBN TAMIL NADU, Updated Jan 08, 2013 at 04:10pm IST

Dr. S. Murukesan, Member, DCI arrested

A member of the Dental Council of India (DCI) was arrested on Tuesday by anti-corruption bureau of the Central Bureau of Investigation for accepting bribe for granting approval to start a post-graduate dental course by a private college in Tamil Nadu. 

Dr S Murukeshan, member, Dental Council of India (an apex body, which controls the dental education in the country) representing Tamil Nadu, was caught red-handed by CBI sleuths while accepting `25 lakh bribe in cash from a representative of Adhiparasakthi Dental College and Hospital near Chennai. The CBI team arrested Dr Murukeshan, K Ramabhadran (the college employee), R Karunanidhi and T Palani (a former MLA) from the private dental clinic owned by Dr Murukeshan in a Chennai suburb.

Interestingly, the arrest comes within weeks after The Pioneer published a report on massive corruption in the country’s medical education system. Dr G Viswanathan, chancellor, Vellore Institute of Technology, had told this correspondent that those in power charge `50 crore to issue a No Objection Certificate for a medical college. “There are educationists and medical professionals waiting to start hundreds of medical colleges in the country. But the level of corruption is keeping them away,” he had claimed.

According to a release by the Chennai wing of the CBI, the management of Adhiparasakthi Dental College and Hospital had approached the Dental Council of India for permission to start post graduate course in the college. The DCI representatives conducted an inspection of the campus last October and found certain deficiencies. They asked the college principal to comply with the deficiencies to get the permission for the post-graduate course.

“The management of Adhiparasakthi Dental College deputed K Ramabadran, Administrative Officer to approach Dr Murukesan, for getting approval from Dental Council of India, New Delhi for the PG course. Murukesan had demanded `1 crore for taking up the matter and getting DCI approval. It was also learnt that Ramabadran, on behalf of the management had bargained with Murukesan and settled the amount. Murukesan agreed on a sum of `25 lakh be paid as advance on January 7 at his Dental Clinic in Chennai,” said the CBI release.

The CBI team swooped on Dr Murukesan and others and seized the entire `25 lakh in `1,000 currency notes. The team is searching for S Srilekha, the managing director of the college, who has gone absconding.

The Adhiparasakthi Dental College and Hospital is owned by The Adhiparasakthi Trust, an organisation launched by self-styled godman Bangaru Arulthiru Adigalar who enjoys the patronage of politicians cutting across party lines.

Dr S Subramanya Sharma, principal, ADCH, said he does not know anything about the incident. “I don’t know anything. I have not heard anything,” he said.

 Dr Viswanathan had alleged that politicians and bureaucrats in States were charging `50 crore for issuing NOC for a medical college. “We have to spend another `50 crore to speed up licence formalities in New Delhi. There is no transparency in the process of issuing licences to start medical or dental colleges while the country is reeling under severe shortage of medical doctors,” he had said.

Prof SP Thyagarajan, educationist of repute, had demanded change in functioning of Medical Council of India and DCI — the bodies which have the last say in giving recognition to medical and dental colleges.

Dr. Murukesan caught taking bribe

Source:  http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/tamil-nadu/dental-council-member-in-cbi-net-for-graft/article4287687.ece

 http://ibnlive.in.com/news/chennai-dental-council-member-caught-taking-bribe-from-college-staff-both-arrested/314549-62-128.html

High Court notice for CBI probe into graft allegations

 By Express News Service - KOCHI 09th October 2012 11:54 AM

The Kerala High Court on Monday issued notices to Central government and the Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) seeking a directive to the CBI to probe into the alleged maladministration and corruption in the Dental Council of India.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and  Justice A M Shaffique issued the directive on a petition filed by former member of Dental Council of India

Dr Shaji K Joseph, Kottayam. The petitioners alleged that the president and certain members of the dental council amassed more than `50 crore as gratification for granting  permission for 1,187 new postgraduate seats for the academic year 2012-13 from the private managements.

The seats were granted without full-time faculties and infrastructure facilities in the private institutions, counsel for the petitioner K Radhakrishnan said.

The petitioners also challenged the amendments in the regulations of the Dental Council of India by reintroducing the four-plus-one system for BDS in place of the five-year integrated system introduced in 2007.  It is alleged that there is corruption in the reintroduction of  the new system.

The change is brought to abet the private managements.  The private managements are not paying the internship fee to the students, the petitioner pointed out. The court also issued notices to DCI president Dr Dibyendu Mazumder,  vice-president Dr Mahesh Verma and other members.

Source:  http://newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/article1291417.ece

Corruption through DCI

 Scam to the tune of Rs. 450 Crores

 CHENNAI: A dental surgeon, who is a member of the Dental Council of India, and three others were arrested by the CBI for taking a bribe of Rs 25 lakh from a self-financing medical college on Tuesday.

CBI officers said the college had paid the surgeon to get the council's permission to start post-graduate dental courses this year. The other arrested include an administrative officer of the college that had sought permission, a former AIADMK legislator and a mediator.

The officers said the management of Adi Parasakthi Dental College in Melmaruvathur had given Rs 25 lakh to Dr S Murukesan at his clinic, Cranio Facial Clinic, on Llyods Road in Royapettah in the heart of the city to start MDS courses. On Tuesday, the CBI officers raided his clinic and seized Rs 25 lakh cash.

"During inquiry he confessed that the money was given to him by officials of Adhi Parasakthi Dental College to get approval for MDS," a senior officer said.

The Dental Council of India is the regulatory authority for dental education in the country.

The Melmaruvathur college admits 100 students for the BDS course. Dr S Murukesan, who is also the dean (in-charge) of SRM Dental College, was nominated to the Dental Council of India by the Annamalai University, Chidambaram.

The CBI also arrested Adi Parasakthi Dental College administrative officer K Ramabadhran, former AIADMK MLA of Arcot constituency T Palani and a mediator, R Karunanidhi of Chromepet. They were produced before the CBI court in Egmore and remanded in judicial custody for 15 days. The CBI slapped a corruption case against Adhi Parasakthi Dental College managing director S Srilekha.

It's not the first time Dr Murukesan has faced corruption charges. The Dental Council of India has put him under the scanner after it received a complaint from a senate member of the state medical university in September last year. The council received a letter from Dr Yashwanth Venkaraman, a senate member of the TN Dr MGR Medical University, stating that Dr Murukesan and another dentist had demanded Rs 450 crore from 16 dental colleges to circumvent the common entrance examination proposed by the Centre.

Two months later, Dental Council of India secretary Dr SK Ojha wrote to the 16 colleges asking them for a report on the complaint. "Only three colleges replied. We are still inquiring into the complaint," Ojha told TOI. There were also cases filed against Dr Murukesan's nomination from the Annamalai University, he said.

Chennai Dental Research Foundation

Dr. Gunaseelan and Dr. Mazumder

Links:

http://chennaidentalresearch.com/more_details.php?id1=120

http://www.hindu.com/2011/05/30/stories/2011053056450600.htm





IDA - Greater Chennai Branch Reforms in Dentistry


Photo Gallery: http://www.idagreaterchennai.in/gallery.html

Dr. Gunaseelan Rajan appointed as a Member Dental Council of India

Dr. Gunaseelan Rajan is appointed as the official representative of Tamil Nadu Government in the Dental Council of India. The Tamil Nadu Dental Council is affiliated to the Dental Council of India. This body controls and exercise the practice of dentistry in Tamil nadu, registers and maintains the minimum standard of practice of dentistry in state of Tamil Nadu. Dr. Dibeyendu Mazumdhar of West Bengal is the current President of Dental Council of India.

Dr. Gunaseelan Rajan, Director, Rajan Dental Institute and President, Chennai Dental Research Foundation has been nominated to the Tamil nadu Dental Council. In a recent appointment, he was nominated to the Tamil nadu Dental Council by the State Government of Tamil Nadu. Later in a closely contested election, he was elected as the President of Tamil Nadu Dental Council. It is noteworthy that this post was once occupied by his father, Dr. B. P. Rajan, Former Vice Chancellor of the Tamil Dr. MGR Medical University, Chennai and Former Special Representative of Tamil nadu Government at New Delhi. It requires a special mention that Dr. Gunaseelan Rajan was awarded PhD and an honorary DSc degree by the same university in a very short span of time.

Dr. Gunaseelan Rajan was also earlier appointed as the member of the committee of the Tamil Nadu Government for the creation/ conversion of the Multi Super Specialty Hospital-cum-Medical College at Omanthurar Government Estate through G.O.Ms.No.301 Health and Family Welfare (E1) Department, dated 25.11.2011.

Ex-DCI President – He fought for honor and came out clean

CBI closes disproportionate assets case against ex-chief of DCI

TNN Jul 20, 2012, 02.32AM IST

NEW DELHI: Less than 10 months after registering a disproportionate assets (DA) case against Anil Kohli, ex-chairman of Dental Council of India (DCI), the CBI has closed it saying, "allegations could not be substantiated" during the probe. Kohli was accused by the CBI in September, 2011, of allegedly amassing huge wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income.

CBI, which had registered a regular case against him after conducting a preliminary probe, said Kohli could account for all his assets and the explanations were found to be satisfactory prompting it to file a closure report. The agency said no criminality was found on Kohli's part in the acquisition of his assets.

After registering the case against Kohli, the CBI had carried out searches at six places, the agency spokesperson said.

The CBI was probing Dr Kohli's role as DCI chairman between 2006 and 2010 following allegations that he received favours from dental colleges for verification and cancellation of certain institutes. He had resigned from the DCI post in 2010. During the searches, it was found that Kohli had allegedly made huge investments in properties, including a palatial house at Gulmohar Park, four shops at Lajpat Nagar and a farmhouse at Chhawla (near Najafgarh), the CBI had said in a statement.

CBI claimed to have recovered Rs one crore in cash during the searches at his places, besides documents showing that he had purchased a house worth Rs 82 lakh in Lajpat Nagar. Kohli is a highly decorated professional. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1992, Padma Bhushan (2005) and Dr B C Roy National Award (2007).

Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-07-20/india/32763749_1_disproportionate-assets-case-regular-case-searches-at-six-places