Kerala HC slams Crime Branch over Karakonam medical college scam probe

In the latest development in the alleged admission scam in Karakonam's Dr. Somervell Memorial CSI Medical College, the Kerala High Court on Friday came down heavily on the Crime Branch of Kerala Police. The court observed that the probe team didn't investigate the involvement of the three main accused- College director Bennet Abraham, controller Dharmmaraj, and CSI Moderator Bishop A Dharmmaraj Rasalam. The accused have cheated several people and collected huge sums by offering admission to the medical college for MBBS and MD seats.

Terming the three main accused as ' giant sharks', the high court questioned the probe team for not conducting an investigation on them and said lack of action against the main defendants is worrying. The Court has also further directed the Crime Branch to submit a probe progress report in the next ten days.

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'Lack of action against main defendants is worrying': HC

"Why is there no investigation against the giant sharks? The Crime Branch is only behind the employees. The lack of action against the main defendants is worrying. One to three accused should be investigated," a bench of Justice PV Kunhikrishnan said.

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Karakonam medical college scam

In the month of February, a Crime Branch probe was ordered into the complaints that the management of the medical college had cheated several people and collected huge sums in the name of admissions. The court direction came soon after a batch of petitions were filled by some parents alleging that medical college authorities cheated people. The college authorities, however, failed to give admissions to the students as promised and did not give the money back, the parents said in their petitions submitted before the court.

The medical college authorities collected huge sums, some even as high as ₹60 lakh, according to a probe conducted by the Admission and Supervisory Committee for Medical Education in Kerala. The probe panel had also observed that the college administration had collected money from the aspirants, mostly from Tamil Nadu despite knowing the fact that non-Keralites were ineligible for admission to MBBS, BDS and MD courses in Kerala.

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(With inputs from ANI) (Pic credit ANI)