Fake Pharmacy Certificates Scam: Nine Chemists, 2 Ex-Registrars, 1 superintendent of Punjab State Pharmacy Council arrested

Chandigarh: Unveiling a fake pharmacy certificates scam, the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Tuesday arrested nine persons who allegedly obtained D-Pharmacy licences in connivance with some self-financed pharmacy institutes in the State. The Bureau has arrested altogether 12 persons in this connection including the two former registers and one superintendent of the Punjab State Pharmacy Council (PSPC) who were detained earlier this month.

Allegedly, they were involved in committing severe irregularities regarding the process of registration and issuance of certificates to pharmacists in alliance with private pharmacy institutes. State VB Spokesperson informed The Tribune that the former registrars and the superintendent were detained after their implication in vigilance inquiry no. 04/2019.

On December 9, a case under sections 420, 465, 466, 468, 120-B of the IPC was registered against the two former registrars and the official of the PSPC for committing irregularities in admissions, registration and issuing licences of D-Pharmacy to students studying in private colleges. 

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As per the latest media report by HT, former registrars Parveen Kumar Bhardwaj and Dr Tejvir Singh were arrested on the same day along with superintendent Ashok Kumar. A VB Spokesperson informed that during the probe, sections 409, and 467 of the IPC along with sections 7, 7-A, 8, 13(1) read with 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act were also added.

Among them, Mr. Bhardwaj served as registrar on various occasions from 2001 to 2009 and from December 24, 2023, to March 2015. On the other hand, Dr. Singh was in the position of registrar from August 23, 2013, to December 24, 2013. Earlier, a VB Spokesperson had informed the Daily that the investigations revealed crucial oversights in the verification process during the registration of pharmacists. The probe in this regard led to the discovery of numerous fake D-Pharmacy certificates during the routine inspections.

The probe further revealed that the accused registrars and officials disregarded the stringent protocols and mandated educational qualifications during the admission process for D-Pharmacy courses across 105 pharmacy colleges in Punjab.

Allegedly during the admission process, the Punjab State Technical Education Board, the authority in charge of conducting online counselling for admissions in State Government Colleges, encountered several persistent vacancies in private pharmacy institutes. To fill up the vacant seats, the private institutes allegedly admitted students from other states in connivance with the accused registrars and PSPC officials without obtaining the mandatory migration certificates.

Further, several students who were admitted to D-Pharmacy Course had 10+2 educational qualifications in medical or non-medical streams obtained privately, while it is required for the students to pass the 10+2 degree regularly and by attending science practicals.

The VB spokesperson earlier informed The Tribune that officials and PSPC employees allegedly collaborated with private pharmacy institutes, allowing admissions without mandatory migration certificates and without verifying the 10+2 certificates.

Apart from this, discrepancies were also found in the process of approval and registration process of certificates issued by education boards accredited by the Council of Boards of School Education in India (COBSE).

Allegedly, the PSPC officials, in collusion with the principals and organisers of private medical colleges, facilitated the registration of candidates from these boards and allowed them to get employed in various departments and establish medical shops.

Even though multiple letters were sent to PSPC from 2016 to 2023 requesting remarks on verification reports, the officials allegedly failed to furnish necessary remarks on numerous occasions, highlighting the pending nature of the inquiry.

The matter was brought to light by Swaranjeet Singh, the whistle-blower of this scam, in 2014 after he obtained information under RTI. He said that this scandal is much beyond than these three people and runs into hundreds of crores.

Nine persons have now been arrested in this connection and The Tribune adds that all the accused are running medical shops in various parts of the State, posing a danger to the lives of people. An official spokesperson of the VB, the accused allegedly brided owners and principals of private pharmacy colleges for getting forged and fabricated Class 12 and D-Pharmacy certificates from different institutions and fake registration certificates from PSPC.

The accused have been identified as Umesh Kumar, who hails from Patiala district, Mohammad Aslam of Malerkotla city, Abdul Sataar of Lasosoi in Malerkotla district, Mohammad Maneer of Binjokee Khurd village in Malerkotla district, Gurdeep Singh of Mandi Gobindgarh, Puneet Sharma of Bahdurgarh in Patiala district, Ravinder Kumar of Chappar village Patiala district, Ashok kumar of Barnala city and Maninder Singh of Rahon Road in Ludhiana city. 

It was further revealed by the VB spokesperson that during the probe, it was found that all the accused obtained their D-Pharmacy degrees from private institutes including Punjab Multipurpose Medical Institute Sehna in Barnala; Lord Krishna College of Pharmacy, Lehragaga, Sangrur district; Onkar College of Pharmacy Sajuma, Sunam, Sangrur district; Maa Sarswati College of Pharmacy, Abohar, Fazilka district; GHG College of Pharmacy, Raikot, Ludhiana district and Lala Lajpat Rai College of Pharmacy in Moga.

As per the report, the accused persons were to be produced in a court on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the official informed that the probe also uncovered fake certificates of 143 students between 2005 and 2022, revealing fraudulent practices in admissions and registration at the PSPC.

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