MCI boss, 3 others in CBI net on bribery charges

Medical Council of India (MCI) president Ketan Desai and three others were arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 2 crore to grant recognition to a medical college in Punjab.

Besides Desai, the other arrested were the alleged middleman, Jitender Pal Singh, and a faculty member of Patiala-based Gyan Sagar Medical College, Kanwaljit Singh, and the college's vice-chairman Sukhvinder Singh, CBI said.

Desai, a B C Roy national award winner, is a well-known medical teacher who currently heads the urology department in B J Medical College, Ahmedabad. He is also the president-elect of the World Medical Association. Desai was arrested late on Friday night after the CBI conducted searches at his office here following information that he along with his associate Jitender Pal Singh was allegedly demanding a bribe to recognise the college, CBI spokesperson Harsh Bahal said.