Gujarat-Based College Trustee, Faculty Member Booked by CBI in Bribery Case

Junagadh: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered an FIR against a trustee and a faculty member of Nobel Ayurvedic College, Junagadh, for allegedly offering a Rs 10 lakh bribe to an official of the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) to secure a favourable verification report for 13 teachers.

The accused have been identified as Nobel Ayurvedic College trustee Pratik Mori and faculty member Dr Abhay Nalawade.

According to the FIR, the alleged bribe was offered to Dr Rupali R Mahadik, Principal of Prabuddh Ayurvedic Medical College, Lucknow, who is serving as a Hearing Committee member of the NCISM. She had been assigned to verify the credentials of 13 teachers of the Junagadh college amid allegations that they existed only on paper.

As per the FIR, Nalawade allegedly contacted Mahadik over WhatsApp on August 18 and offered a bribe in return for a favourable verification report. Mahadik subsequently informed Dr Mukul Patel, President of the Medical Assessment and Rating Board for Indian System of Medicine (MARBISM), NCISM.

As advised, Mahadik remained in contact with Nalawade to gather evidence. During a WhatsApp call on August 20, Mori allegedly joined the conversation and offered to pay Rs 10 lakh in exchange for clearing the names of all 13 teachers.

Mahadik then approached the CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch in New Delhi with a formal complaint. The agency conducted a discreet verification, which allegedly corroborated the complaint. According to the FIR, Mori had agreed to deliver the money in Delhi on August 22.

The CBI subsequently registered a regular case on August 22 against Mori and Nalawade under Section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, read with Section 8 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, relating to criminal conspiracy and bribing a public servant.

The investigation has been entrusted to Inspector Bhupinder Singh Yadav of the CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch, New Delhi. DeshGujarat