The identical chargesheets signed by V G Zode, deputy secretary, Medical Education and Drugs Department, were served on M G Rathod, Y A Machiswala, Chetan Oberoi, H S Haridas and Mohan Jagde.

The main charge against the five doctors is that they called criminals on several occasions and admitted them in their units, though there was no need for admission. In case of Machiswala, the chargesheet says, undertrial Akbar Abdul was called on 20 occasions, Mohamed Ittesham, Mustaq Tarani and Sajit Qureshi on 11 occasions, one Asgar on eight and one Farooq on seven.

``On the basis of verification of case papers of these alleged undertrials, it has been established that though there was no need, they were called to the hospital for treatment on several occasions and that youhave nexus with the said undertials,'' the chargesheet says. Under the circumstances, these doctors have failed to carry out their responsibility as professionals, it points out.

The conduct of the doctors is in blatant violation of the Maharashtra Civil Service (Discipline, Conduct and Appeal) Rules, the chargesheet notes. The doctors have been asked to submit their explanation in writing within ten days of receipt of the chargesheet.

Following a series of reports in The Indian Express last year on the alleged nexus between doctors and criminals, the Sena-BJP government had appointed a high-level committee headed by Pragnya Pai, then Dean of KEM Hospital. On the basis of the reports and also the official records of the JJ Group of Hospitals, the committee concluded that a section of doctors in the hospital have a direct nexus with criminals.

When the issue was subsequently raised during the winter session of the state legislature at Nagpur, the then Chief Minister Manohar Joshi had assured theagitated members that his government would take stern action against the erring doctors.

Significantly, barring a show-cause notice and a subsequent chargesheet, no action has been taken by the Medical Education and Drugs Department. ``We feel the government is going very slow on taking disciplinary action against the erring doctors,'' a senior official said.

As a routine practice, the government should have at least immediately transferred all the doctors mentioned in the Pai Committee report out of Mumbai before initiating any disciplinary action against them. ``Out of the seven doctors, only one was transferred last year. However, for unknown reasons, the said doctor has been posted at the JJ Group of Hospitals in the same department and on the same post again. The other doctors have not been touched at all, the official pointed out.