Managing directors and registrars of four deemed universities and three private medical colleges and hospitals and unknown public servants of the directorate of health and family welfare have been booked on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating and criminal misconduct while admitting students to MBBS courses for the academic year 2016-2017 by the CBI.

On Friday, a statement released that the investigating agency said that deemed universities and private medical colleges denied MBBS seats under the management quota to candidates with a high score in the national eligibility cum entrance test (NEET) and admitted ineligible candidates by taking extra fee.

The agency said the institutions not only refused seats for genuine candidates, but also did not stick to the fee structure prescribed by the fee committee. The institutions did not submit the final list of admitted students neither to the government nor to the Centralized admission committee (Centac) and did not maintain any records on the number of applications received, NEET merit list and the order of counselling.

The Medical Council of India (MCI) had directed these institutions to remove 767 students, who were admitted under management quota without obeying with the rules and regulations. Also, the MCI had sought comments from the Puducherry government.

The statement also said that till date no proposal was submitted by the Puducherry health department to the cabinet resolution for taking action against the wrong doing of the private medical colleges. It is suspected that officials of the health department might have acted in responsibility with these institutions in the matter of admissions for MBBS course for the academic year 2016-17, and the admitted students were cheated by these institutions as their admissions were discharged by the MCI.

The agency has booked the following medical colleges: Mahatma Gandhi medical college and research institute managing director Rajagopalan, Arupadaiveedu medical college and hospital managing director Ganesan, Vinayaga Missions medical college registrar Ponniyin Selvan, Sri Lakshmi Narayana institute of medical sciences managing director Anbalagan, Sri Manakula Vinayagar medical college and hospital managing director Dhanasekaran, Pondicherry institute of medical sciences registrar Anil Jacob Purti and Venkateshwaraa medical college and hospital and research centre managing director Ramachandran and unknown public servants.

In the meantime, the agency has also has sent a report on the registration of cases to the Puducherry chief secretary.