Massive medical college scam busted: Godman, ex-UGC chief caught in corruption web

India’s top investigation agency, the CBI, has uncovered one of the country’s biggest education scams involving medical colleges.

Nationwide racket exposed in medical education

Thirty-four powerful people are accused, including a famous spiritual leader (godman) named Ravi Shankar Maharaj, former education chief DP Singh, and several government health officials. These people are suspected of taking huge bribes to help private medical colleges get approvals illegally.

The scam worked across many states like Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh. It started when the CBI arrested three doctors for taking ₹55 lakh (about $65,000) to give a good inspection report to a college run by the godman’s trust.

Fake teachers, bribed officials and temple funds uncovered

According to reports, the heart of the scam was inside India’s Health Ministry itself. Eight officials there secretly took photos of confidential files and leaked inspection dates and officers’ names to college management for big bribes.

For example, a university registrar named Mayur Raval allegedly charged ₹25-30 lakh to share secret inspection details.

The godman reportedly contacted ex-education head DP Singh to influence reports, who then sent a helper for the job. With these leaked details, colleges could cheat inspections by bribing assessors, hiring fake teachers, or even admitting pretend patients to show everything was fine.

Colleges used shocking tricks to fool inspectors. In Indore’s Index Medical College, chairman Suresh Bhadoria used artificial rubber fingers to fake doctors’ fingerprint attendance, according to an HT report.

Southern colleges paid agents like Andhra’s Hari Prasad to arrange "dummy teachers" during inspections. One college director in Visakhapatnam paid ₹50 lakh, while another in Warangal spent over ₹4 crore in bribes. The illegal money moved through secret hawala networks. In a bizarre twist, part of the bribes—handled by an official named Jeetu Lal Meena, was used to build a ₹75 lakh Hanuman temple in Rajasthan.

The CBI calls this one of India’s worst medical education scams, affecting over 40 colleges nationwide. While eight people have already been arrested, including three doctors and a college director, the probe continues.

The agency found that ministry officials, inspection teams, agents, and college bosses worked together like a criminal network.

This scam endangered medical education quality, letting unqualified colleges operate.

The CBI promises more action as they trace the hawala money and examine all accused, including the high-profile godman and ex-UGC chief. For now, it shows how deep corruption has spread in regulating medical colleges.