870 pharma colleges okayed in 13 days, CBI probe shows

870 pharma colleges okayed in 13 days, CBI probe shows 

PCI SCAM 

Ashish.Chauhan@timesofindia.com 05.07.2025

Ahmedabad : The Centreal Bureau of Investigation, which is probing a massive breach of regulatory compliance framework has found itself further unravelling how 870 pharmacy colleges across India were approved in just 13 days during 2023–24, many through brief Zoom calls. At the centre of the scam is Dr Montu Kumar Patel, president of the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI), who allegedly fast-tracked approvals — some cleared over Zoom calls as short as seven to eight minutes, according to official documents of the case. 

According to the preliminary inquiry triggered by a complaint from the Union ministry of health and family welfare, the PCI replaced physical site inspections with online inspections from April 2023. “A circular was issued allowing new colleges to apply online, and 870 colleges were shortlisted for inspection between June 28 and July 10, 2023. Some of these were cleared through online inspections within minutes while others were cleared within days in inspections conducted from centralised locations such as the PCI office in Delhi and LM College of Pharmacy, Gujarat,” stated a CBI report. 

The findings are alarming. Several colleges that reportedly lacked buildings, infrastructure, qualified staff or even students were given affiliation by Dr Montu Patel and his aides, said the CBI document. Inspectors were often unable to verify original documents or faculty presence, and video evidence was missing in nearly all cases. One Zoom inspection from Ayodhya lasted just eight minutes, despite the absence of a principal. 

The college lacked basic infrastructure and was still approved after an affidavit was submitted, stated the report. The CBI probe also uncovered bribery linked to the approval process. In one case, an aide to Dr Patel, identified as Vinod Kumar Tiwari, allegedly paid Rs 11 lakh, including Rs 95,000 via bank transfers and the rest in cash, to a primary schoolteacher, Santosh Kumar Jha, to secure approval for his college, the document stated. 

This is not the first instance of alleged misuse of office by Dr Patel. In April 2022, prior to the PCI presidential election, he allegedly booked rooms worth Rs 2.75 lakh at a New Delhi hotel to host voters. After winning the election, he allegedly consolidated power by appointing close aides to key council roles and granting sweeping approval rights to select individuals, said a document of the CBI inquiry. 

The investigation revealed that at least six colleges with negative inspection reports were also granted approval. During field visits to 23 colleges in UP, MP, Gujarat, and Rajasthan, CBI teams found non-functional or grossly deficient facilities. The CBI on June 30 registered an FIR against Dr Montu Patel and others under IPC Sections 120-B for criminal conspiracy, 420 for cheating, and the Prevention of Corruption Act. 

Meanwhile, the state unit of the Congress party has demanded an impartial probe into allegations of irregularities by PCI. Speaking to reporters at the GPCC headquarters, party spokesperson Manish Doshi said that there are 104 pharmacy colleges in Gujarat, of which only three are govt-run, and three are grantin-aid, while the remaining 98 are self-financed. 

“For several years, there are only 380 seats in govt and grant-in-aid pharmacy colleges, while private colleges have been charging exorbitant fees. Why is the state govt silent over the business practices of private pharmacy colleges?” Doshi asked. He demanded an impartial probe into allegations of irregularities in the inspection and approval processes of pharmacy colleges by PCI.