In a big jolt to former RINPAS Director Amool Ranjan, the Jharkhand High Court on Wednesday rejected his anticipatory bail application  while allowed the same filed by other accused persons, including former Health Ministers Rajendra Singh and Hemlal Murmu in a case related to RINPAS (Ranchi Institute of Neuro Psychiatry and Allied Sciences) recruitment scam where persons not having the requisite qualification were given top posts.

The Court of Justice Anant Vijay Singh also rejected the ABA filed by RINPAS clerk Surendra Kumar Rohilla.

“The court rejected the ABA filed by Ranjan and Rohilla for having sufficient allegations against them but allowed to the two former health ministers and other 12 accused persons as they were not directly involved in it,” said ACB counsel TN Verma. Director of RINPAS ought to be an MBBS doctor, while Ranjan did not even possess the requisite degree and was a simple post graduate in Psychology, he added.

Ranjan, according to the charges made against him, in spite of not possessing the requisite qualifications, managed to become Director of RINPAS in connivance with the political heavyweights.

“Subsequently, several other people were recruited by the Director,” said the ACB counsel. Rohilla, however, ensured his appointment by submitting a fake OBC certificate,” said the advocate. 

Following Ranjan’s appointment for the first time, the CAG objected to it in one of its reports, following which Ranjan was removed. later, Congress leader Singh approved his appointment again as the Director, following recommendation by the then health secretary B K Tripathi.

Verma said that in the 54-page order of the Jharkhand High Court, Rajendra Singh has been imposed a fine of Rs 25000 which has to be deposited by December 18 to the Jharkhand High Court Advocate’s Association while the other accused persons Dr Pawan Kumar Singh and Head Clerk Pawan Sahu have been imposed a fine of Rs 11,000 each and have to deposit it to Ranchi District Bar Association.

He said the order in the case had been reserved by the Court during the last hearing which was pronounced on Wednesday.  “The court on Wednesday heard the ABA filed by six out of 14 accused persons through four different petitions,” said the defence advocate.

The FIR had been registered by the ACB under different sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act following a preliminary inquiry initiated on the order of special vigilance court in 2015.

Apart from Singh and Murmu, others against whom the FIR was registered are –the then Health Secretary B K Tripathi, two professors, three associate professors, a medical officer and two clerks.

The ABA was filed in the High Court after it was rejected by a Special Anti-Corruption Bureau Court of Ashutosh Dubey in May 2017.