New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday allowed a plea of PMK leader and former Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss seeking shifting of the trial of a graft case against him from a court in Lucknow to the national capital.
"The transfer petitions are allowed. Records to be brought to Delhi and then the trial should be expedited," a bench, comprising Chief Justice P Sathasivam and Ranjan Gogoi, said.
Ramadoss had filed the petition last year for shifting the trial to Patiala House Court here where he has been chargesheeted in a similar case.
The PMK leader has been chargesheeted in a special CBI court in Lucknow in a case of allegedly showing favours to a private medical college, Rohilkhand Medical College and Hospital (RMCH), in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, relating to grant of renewal for admissions in the MBBS course in 2008-2009.
The identical case in which he has been chargesheeted in a special CBI court in Patiala House relates to allegedly abusing his official position in allowing Indore-based Index Medical College and Research Centre (IMCHRC) to go ahead with admissions without having sufficient faculty and clinical material.
Ramadoss sought transfer of the case from Lucknow to a CBI court in Delhi saying the genesis of the alleged conspiracy starts from New Delhi and also culminates in the national capital in both the matters.
The former health minister said most of the accused in both the cases are common and residents of Delhi.
"Furthermore, even most of the witnesses in both the cases are also the residents of Delhi. Hence, it would be expedient and in the interest to justice if both the cases are heard together before the special judge, CBI, Patiala House," he said.
The charge sheet in the Lucknow court was filed on February 25 last year while the charge sheet in Delhi court was filed on April 27, 2012.
Ramadoss was Union Health Minister from May 2004 till April 2009 in UPA-1 government.
In the IMCHRC case, besides Ramadoss, CBI has filed charge sheet against K V S Rao, Director in Cabinet Secretariat, Sudershan Kumar, Section Officer in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Dr J S Dhupia and Dr Dipendra Kumar Gupta of Safdarjung Hospital.
The charge sheet also named Suresh Singh Bhadoria, Chairman of Index Medical College Hospital and Research Centre (IMCHRC), Dr S K Tongia, ex-Dean of the college, Dr K K Saxena, Medical Director of the college, Nitin Gothwal and Dr Pawan Bhambani. All the 10 accused are now on bail.
