SC declines to entertain plea of Ramadoss in graft cases

The Supreme Court today declined to entertain the plea of former Union minister Anbumani Ramadoss for quashing of charges against him in two corruption cases.

A bench comprising justices T S Thakur and V Gopala Gowda asked him to approach the special court while declining his plea to stay the ongoing trial in the cases filed by CBI.

On October 20, the Delhi High Court had refused to grant any interim relief to Ramadoss in the matter.

The trial court had on October 7 said that prima facie various offences including criminal conspiracy, cheating and forgery under IPC and provisions of Prevention of Corruption Act relating to public servant abusing official position were made out against Ramadoss and several others.

The trial court had said that the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) leader had "criminally conspired" with other accused and abused his authority.

Ramadoss was the Union Health Minister from May 2004 till April 2009 in the UPA-I government.

The two graft cases relate to alleged favours shown by Ramadoss and other accused to private Rohilkhand Medical College and Hospital (RMCH), Bareilly (UP) and Indore-based Index Medical College Hospital and Research Centre (IMCHRC).

In the case of IMCHRC, apart from Ramadoss, the trial court ordered framing of charges against then Deputy Secretary in Health and Family Welfare Ministry KVS Rao, college chairman S S Bhadoria, college employees Nitin Gothwal and Pawan Bhambhani.

It had said they were prima facie found to have committed the offences under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC read with section 13(2) and 13(1)(d) (abuse of power by public servant) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and sections 420 (cheating), 465 (forgery), 468 (forgery for the purpose of cheating) and 471 (using forged documents as genuine) of IPC. This charges were objected to by the PMK leader.

In the RMCH case, besides Ramadoss and Rao, the court had ordered framing of charges against college chairman K K Aggarwal, saying they were prima facie found to have committed offences under 120-B of IPC read with sections 13(2) and 13(1)(d) of Prevention of Corruption Act and sections 420,468, 471 of IPC.

This case was last year transferred by the Supreme Court from a court in lucknow to Delhi after Ramadoss had sought shifting of the trial.

He and nine others were chargesheeted by CBI in the case for allegedly showing favours to RMCH in grant of renewal for admission in the MBBS course in 2008-2009 and allowing the college to proceed without sufficient faculty and clinical material.

All the accused, who have denied the allegations levelled against them, are presently out on bail in the two cases.