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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed its chargesheet against former Allahabad High Court Judge Sri Narayan Shukla in the medical college corruption case. Justice Shukla is accused of granting a favorable order to a Lucknow-based medical college in lieu of illegal gratification.

Besides Justice Shukla, former Orissa High Court judge I M Quddusi, his associate Bhawana Pandey, the Prasad Education Trust (PET) which runs Lucknow-based medical college Prasad Institute of Medical Sciences, its owners Bhagwan Prasad Yadav, and Palash Yadav and another private person Sudhir Giri, who owns Venkateshwara Medical College in Meerut, are the accused, as per media reports.

Last month, the CBI had sought permission from Allahabad High Court to prosecute its former judge, as is required under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Allegedly, the retired Orissa High Court judge had engaged Justice Shukla in the corruption case, who had accepted bribes from Prasad Education Trust-run Glocal Medical College in return for favorable verdicts.

On December 4, 2019, the CBI had registered an FIR in the matter after it was handed over to the agency for investigation. The main charge against the former High Court judge is that in 2017, a bench headed by him arbitrarily gave relief to two medical colleges, which were debarred by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare from admitting students for two years (2017-2019) due to lack of facilities in May 2017.

The college had challenged this government order in the Supreme Court which directed the government to consider afresh the material on record. Meanwhile, the proceedings before the Apex Court, the promoters of the college had allegedly got in touch with Justice Quddusi and Bhawana Pandey who allegedly hatched a conspiracy to settle the matter. 

It is alleged that when Justice Shukla was approached by Justice Quddusi, the bench headed by Justice Shukla passed the controversial order in complete violation of an order of the Supreme Court, which had denied fixing the last date for admissions for August 31.

The High Court bench, which earlier on September 1, 2017, had quashed the orders of the Medical Council of India (MCI) and the Health Ministry debarring the colleges, extended the date of admission to September 5, thereby allowing the Trust to continue admitting students even after the Apex Court's order. 

Shukla’s verdict was challenged by the Medical Council of India three days later in the Supreme Court. It was heard by the then Chief Justice and two other judges.

On November 23, 2017, a Supreme Court bench comprising then CJI Misra and Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud, took serious note of the action of the Allahabad High Court's Division Bench headed by Justice Shukla. 

Thereafter, the then CJI formed an in-house committee to probe the matter, and that Committee in January 2018 concluded that there was “sufficient substance” in allegations against Justice Shukla. 

In pursuance of the same, the then CJI recommended impeachment proceedings against Justice Shukla, however, Justice Shukla retired in July 2020 in normal course, as the impeachment proceedings could not be initiated against him timely.