A special court in Kolkata has issued an arrest warrant against Akhtar Ali, the first whistleblower in a multi-crore financial irregularities case at R.G Kar Medical College and Hospital. Ali, a former Deputy Superintendent of R.G. Kar, raised concerns about the involvement of the controversial former principal, Sandip Ghosh, in the financial irregularities at the state-run medical institution. Following Ali’s petition, the Calcutta High Court ordered a CBI probe into the matter, with the Enforcement Directorate also launching a parallel investigation.
Ali’s whistleblower status faced a setback when the CBI named him as a co-accused in a supplementary chargesheet last December. Despite multiple non-appearances at the court, citing hospital treatment, an arrest warrant was issued against Ali. His counsel explained that his absence was due to medical reasons, but the court sided with the CBI’s argument that Ali was using his ailment as an excuse.
Having submitted his resignation, which was not accepted, Ali was suspended by the West Bengal Health Department. The department stated that Ali, as Assistant Superintendent and later as Deputy Superintendent, allegedly influenced equipment procurement at R.G. Kar, demanding money from equipment suppliers for business opportunities. Transactions totaling Rs 2,39,000 in Ali’s account and Rs 50,000 in his wife’s account between 2020 and 2022 have been reported.
