A case of cheating has been registered against Shubham Awasthi, a former co-convener of the BJP’s Jabalpur medical cell, for allegedly working in a government hospital using a fake medical degree. The FIR, filed on April 5 following a court directive, accuses Awasthi of fraudulently securing a position at the Seth Govind Das District Hospital (formerly Victoria Hospital) with a bogus AYUSH certificate.

Civil Lines police station in-charge Nehru Singh Khandate confirmed the registration of the case, stating, "An FIR has been filed against Awasthi under charges of cheating based on a directive from the court. The investigation is ongoing."

The case adds to a growing list of fake medical practitioners in Madhya Pradesh, coming just two days before the arrest of a purported cardiologist in Damoh, linked to the deaths of seven heart patients at a missionary hospital.

Shubham Awasthi's alleged misrepresentation came to light after local activist and complainant Shailendra Bari filed an RTI seeking verification of his credentials. “A friend, who was once admitted to the hospital and later passed away, overheard hospital staff speaking about a ‘black sheep’ among them. That led me to pursue the matter,” Bari said.

Through RTI queries submitted to the relevant university and government Ayurvedic college, Bari learned that Awasthi had never been enrolled as a student. He claimed that after this revelation, Awasthi quietly resigned from the hospital in 2021. When no action was taken on his initial police complaint, Bari approached the district court. On February 14, the Judicial Magistrate First Class directed Civil Lines police to investigate the matter.

The ruling BJP has acknowledged Awasthi’s former association with the party. Ratnesh Sonkar, BJP’s Jabalpur city president, confirmed that Awasthi once held the post of district medical cell co-convener but was removed two years ago. “We came to know of the incident through the media. If he is found guilty, strict action will be taken as per party guidelines,” Sonkar said.

Ashwini Trivedi, state BJP media cell co-convener and a practicing dentist, added, “He was relieved of his duties two years ago after certain allegations were raised against him.”