NRHM scam: CBI to file chargesheet against 22

The CBI is understood to have decided to file chargesheet against 22 officials in a case of fraud in the implementation of NRHM in Lucknow, without waiting for the state government's sanction to prosecute them.

Among these 22 officials of the Health and Family Welfare Deepartments are former chief medical officers and other doctors. The CBI had sought sanction to prosecute the officials about a month ago, but the state government is dragging its feet on the issue, sources said.

However, in order to avoid legal problems later, the CBI will file the chargesheet under various provisions of the IPC, not the Prevention of Corruption Act. Besides officials, the agency is likely to name eight owners of private firms in the chargesheet. The agency has not made any arrest in this case so far.

The Allahabad High Court had entrusted the investigation to the CBI on July 27 last year. Soon, the agency has to file a status report in the court. While it has completed the investigation, it cannot file the chargesheet because the state government has so far not given the sanction to prosecute officials.

The doctors, in question, include former Lucknow CMO Dr AK Shukla, Dr Chitra Singh, Dr RB Lal, Dr AK Chaudhary, Dr Charan Jeet Yadav and officials including Dinesh Singh, Sanjay Anand and Prem Chand Verma. Among others are BSP MLC Ram Chandra Pradhan's wife Anita, his close friend Agha Rizwan and owners of Ahmedabad-based M/S Biotech Vision, M/S Jain Medical Hall of Moradabad, M/S Cee Kay Hospitals & Suppliers of Kanpur.

Judicial custody of Kushwaha extended

A special CBI court here further remanded former minister Babu Singh Kushwaha and eight others in judicial custody till July 5 in the multi-crore NRHM scam. The accused, who were produced in the court on Tuesday, were also supplied with remaining documents of the chargesheets. The CBI sought extension of their remand on the ground that if released, they would influence witnesses and tamper with the evidence.

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