The Maharashtra Government on Tuesday suspended Dr Rahul Ghule, a medical officer attached to Mumbai’s Aurthur Road prison, who had allegedly manipulated the jail records to facilitate incarcerated former deputy chief minister and the PWD scam accused Chhagan Bhujbal’s admission to the State-run St. George’s Hospital.
Dr Ghule’s suspension follows the findings of a vigilance inquiry ordered by the State Home Ministry into his alleged role facilitating Bhujbal’s hospitalisation. Maharashtra’s Inspector General (Prisons) Bipin Kumar Singh had conducted the inquiry into the allegations against Dr Ghule.
The enquiry had revealed that Dr Ghule, in his effort to favour Bhujbal, had manipulated the medical records of the incarcerated former deputy chief minister to show that the latter suffered from a heart ailment while the fact remained that the senior NCP leader wanted to undergo mere dental check up.
Having initially obtained an appointment for a dental check-up for Bhujbal, Dr Ghule had taken the former DCM to St George’s Hospital on April 18 under the false pretext that the latter was suffering from a heart ailment.
Dr Ghule, who had earlier been shifted out of the Arthur Road prison and posted in the State Health department, was formally suspended from service on Tuesday.
Dr Ghule’s suspension came a day after Bhujbal was discharged from St George’s Hospital.
Bhujbal, who was simultaneously investigated by the Enforcement Directorate(ED) and Maharashtra ACB at the orders of the Bombay High court, was arrested by the ED on March 14 in connection with two money laundering cases registered against him, his family members and associates.
After being in the custody of ED for initial two days, Bhujbal has been in the judicial custody since then. He has been lodged at the Arthur Road prison.
While the State ACB has already filed two charge-sheets against Bhujbal in connection with the new Maharashtra Sadan and Mumbai University library land allotment scams, the ED is investigating two money laundering cases against him.
In documents filed before a Mumbai court here on March 15 this year, the ED had charged that Bhujbal, his family members and associates had caused a loss of staggering Rs 887 crore to the State exchequer.
The ED has so far attached properties worth Rs 335 crore belonging to Bhujbals. The last of the immovable assets seized on Monday last were a sugar mill and 290 acres of prime land collectively worth Rs 55 crore.