The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted raids at two residential premises of Dr Montu Kumar Patel, president of the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI), in Ahmedabad.
The searches, carried out under tight security, came three days after the registration of a criminal case and followed allegations of large-scale corruption. These included charges related to Dr Patel’s election to the council presidency and the allegedly questionable approval of pharmacy colleges across multiple states.
Dr Patel contested the presidential election on April 6, 2022. It is alleged that he hosted 12 Central Council voters in a luxury hotel in New Delhi for three days before the elections. Reports added the accommodation and meals, which totalled Rs 2.75 lakh, were reportedly paid for by Dr Patel, an action seen as a quid pro quo effort to influence the elections in his favour.
A First Information Report (FIR) was filed with the CBI’s Anti-Corruption Unit in Delhi.
Dr Patel along with Vinod Kumar Tiwari and Santosh Kumar Jha are charged with cheating and attempt to grease palms. Abuse of public office is another of the charges framed under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended in 2018.
CBI officials remained tight-lipped about the specifics of the operation but confirmed that the searches were conducted based on this FIR.
CBI’s preliminary enquiry, launched in May 2023 on a reference from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, allegedly revealed serious irregularities in the 2022 PCI elections.
Once elected, Dr. Patel allegedly appointed close associates to the Executive Committee, consolidating decision-making powers and sidelining dissenting voices within the council.
Under his leadership, the PCI abandoned physical inspections in favour of online evaluations via video conferencing platforms for the 2023–24 academic year. Investigators found that approximately 870 new pharmacy institutions were processed through this virtual model. These inspections were allegedly perfunctory, often lasting less than ten minutes. In many cases, inspectors were stationed only in a few regions, and reports were allegedly rubber-stamped without due diligence.
The FIR mentions the case of Rameshwar Prasad Satya Narayan Mahavidyalaya in Ayodhya. The institute, allegedly linked to co-accused Vinod Tiwari of Faizabad, UP, allegedly violated the basic norms. Despite lacking faculty, it secured PCI approval based solely on an affidavit. Later visits revealed the college to be in a severely dilapidated state.
The complaint further alleges that Vinod Tiwari paid more than Rs 10 lakh in cash, in addition to Rs 95,000 through formal banking channels, to Santosh Kumar Jha — a government school teacher from Ayodhya — to “arrange” PCI approvals. These funds were reportedly used to fabricate compliance measures, including hiring proxy faculty and acquiring books and laboratory equipment, mostly on paper.
CBI’s investigation tracked several financial transactions from Tiwari to Jha during the second half of 2022 and again in September 2023.
Additionally, the probe revealed that inspections of at least 23 colleges across Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Rajasthan were allegedly carried out in a similar manner — hastily, and without verifying whether the institutions had the necessary infrastructure or faculty.
The investigation also points to potential tampering with PCI’s college approval portal. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between PCI and the National Informatics Centre (NIC), Hyderabad, had outlined that NIC would develop a secure digital platform and provide training to PCI staff. However, the CBI alleges that Dr. Patel pressured NIC to prematurely declare the project complete in October 2022. Soon after, NIC officers were reportedly stripped of their administrative credentials, allowing certain PCI insiders to allegedly exploit the system in favour of select colleges.
According to investigators, the digital interface remained only partially functional and was manipulated to bypass essential regulatory checks.
Several institutions — including SSD College of Pharmacy, Gagan College in Aligarh, and Heyward College in Gwalior — reportedly received approvals despite negative inspection reports.
The FIR cites prima facie evidence of a criminal conspiracy involving public functionaries and private individuals, naming Dr Patel, Tiwari, and Jha among the accused.
As this case emerges as one of the most serious corruption allegations within India’s higher education regulatory framework, officials have indicated that more raids, arrests, and disclosures may follow in the coming days.
The Supreme Court had recently criticised the PCI “for lack of application of mind and exercise of powers in an arbitrary manner.”
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