The FIR was registered against arrested officials of Gujarat-based company MJ Solanki Company, which was entrusted with the recruitment of contractual nursing staff, and an officer posted at AIIMS-Jodhpur.
Manjal Patel
The accused named in the FIR are the company’s field in-charge, Bharat Poonia, supervisor Kana Ram Choudhary, partner Manjal Patel and AIIMS-Jodhpur nursing officer Mahipal Yadav.
All four were arrested on Thursday after the ACB unearthed the arbitrary selection process following days of intelligence gathering and surveillance. The scam was unearthed when ACB’s special investigation wing (SIW) learned that the company was demanding Rs 2 lakh for a contractual nursing job at the hospital and Rs 80,000 for a nursing assistant.
Mahipal Yadav
A team led by ASP (SIW) Bajrang Singh Shekhawat is currently camping in Alwar to probe the case.
“Apart from the four named in the FIR, we have also mentioned other unnamed accused as their role is under investigation,” said DG (ACB) BL Soni, adding that the FIR was registered under multiple provisions of the prevention of corruption Act.
Sources said that the role of Kuldeep Yadav, personal assistant to Alwar MP Balak Nath, is also under investigation for his alleged involvement in the case. While Yadav was not named in the FIR, ACB officials claimed probe against Yadav would continue. “When he (Yadav) learned that company officials were charging up to Rs 2 lakh from aspirants for a temporary nursing job, he also began demanding a share from officials involved in the recruitment process,” an official informed TOI.
The ESIC Hospital has also issued an order terminating the contract it had signed with MJ Solanki Company. The order asked the company to withdraw “all the contractual manpower deployed” at the hospital.
Investigators are also examining the alleged role of hospital officials, especially those who were responsible for vetting and approving documents of shortlisted candidates.“The company had shortlisted about 80 candidates for contractual employment. But we found that only 12 had submitted documents related to their nursing education and experience credentials. This raises suspicion,” said an official.
The sources added that shortlisted candidates may also be quizzed soon in the case.
