Hyderabad, May 14: Alleging that Medical Council of India chairman Ketan Desai had manipulated all other IMA branches, except the Hyderabad branch, with obvious inducements, former president of IMA, Hyderabad branch, A Gopal Kishan today demanded that the Centre pursue all criminal cases registered against Desai and ensure that he got a stern punishment.
Kishan, who is also the president of the Indian Society of Organ Transplantation (ISoT), said further that Desai had brought disrepute and shame to the medical profession in the country. “Ever since he occupied the post of MCI chairman in 1996 he has been misusing his post apart from taking bribes to give permissions for new colleges,’’ Kishan alleged.
Addressing a press conference today, Kishan said that Desai was arrested once in 2001 in connection with corruption allegations by CBI but was acquitted due to lack of evidence. “Now, the UPA government should pursue all criminal cases to ensure that he gets stern punishment,’’ he said. Pointing out that the Hyderabad branch of IMA was the only branch in the country to pass a resolution against Ketan Desai, the ISOT president recalled the remarks of the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court that the MCI was a den of corruption and its chairman Dr Ketan Desai was the presiding deity of corruption.
He said that the Hyderabad branch, bya resolution, strongly condemned the disgraceful and corrupt practices of Ketan Desai, who brought shame and disrespect to the medical profession in the country.
Desai had been elected chairman of MCI in 1996 and president of Indian Medical Association (IMA) in 2001-02. Desai’s Ahmedabad residence was raided by income tax and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials and crores of rupees stashed in sofa sets in his drawing room were unearthed.
The Hyderabad branch of IMA also asked Desai to voluntarily quit all the posts occupied by him. “If he fails to do so, the bodies concerned will erase his name from the registry of MCI and IMA and the authority concerned to fine him suitably for flouting the code of ethics regulation 2002,’’ Gopal Kishan said.
Former presidents of IMA (Hyderabad) Dr Nandaraj Singh, Dr BS Yadav and Dr CB Srinivas Rao were present.
—Agencies