India’s Biggest Medical College Scam: Bribes, Godmen, Ghost Colleges
The CBI uncovered India’s biggest medical college scam, where crores in bribes were paid for fake approvals. A godman, top officials, and middlemen staged ghost colleges across India.
In June 2024, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) started receiving secret complaints that private medical colleges were giving huge bribes to get fake approvals. These bribes were not small—crores of rupees were being paid to officials to approve colleges that were not fit to teach students or treat patients.
The complaints said that officials from the National Medical Commission (NMC), middlemen, and powerful people were involved. Many colleges did not have enough staff, hospital facilities, or patients. Still, they received approval by bribing inspection teams.
Some colleges even used fake teachers (ghost faculty) and brought in fake patients just for the inspection day. They also faked biometric attendance records to show that staff were present.
On 25 June 2025, the CBI laid a trap. The owner of Rawatpura Sarkar Institute of Medical Sciences in Raipur was caught giving ?55 lakh in cash to an NMC official for a positive inspection report. After this, the CBI raided more than 40 places in eight states and found strong evidence of a big scam.
The main people involved included “godman” Ravi Shankar Maharaj (Rawatpura Sarkar), who ran multiple colleges, former UGC Chairman DP Singh, and college heads like Suresh Singh Bhadoria of Index Medical College. They used political links, bribes, and inside information to get what they wanted.
Colleges paid bribes of ?50 lakh to ?5 crore. They were informed in advance about inspection dates and names of inspectors. Reports were even prepared before inspections happened. One college even used bribe money to build a temple linked to the godman.
By early July 2025, the CBI had arrested college directors, NMC officials, and middlemen. They seized crores in cash, gold, and tampered records. Major colleges like Rawatpura Sarkar Medical College (Raipur), Index Medical College (Indore), and Father Colombo Institute (Warangal) were found involved.
Due to this scam, the NMC stopped giving new seat approvals to the involved colleges for 2025–26. Students and parents were shocked, as many colleges that were considered legal were not safe for medical education.
This scam is serious because it is not just about money—it shows how fake approvals can put the lives of patients at risk by allowing under-trained doctors into the healthcare system.
The CBI has said more arrests will follow, and people across India are demanding strong punishment. Citizens are calling this scam a betrayal of trust and are asking for urgent reforms in India’s medical education system.
