Sardar Rajas Med College chief arrested from TN

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Odisha Crime Branch has arrested managing trustee of Selvam Educational and Charitable Trust A Johnsel Raja (54) from Nagercoil in Tamil Nadu. The trust was running the Sardar Rajas Medical College and Hospital in Kalahandi district.

As per reports, Raja was arrested on July 26 on the charges of criminal breach of trust and cheating. He has been brought to Odisha by the EOW on transit remand and taken for production before the JMFC, Junagarh, Kalahandi.

The Selvam Educational and Charitable Trust had signed an MoU with the Western Odisha Development Council (WODC) to establish a medical college at Jaring in Kalahandi. The WODC had provided Rs 10 crore and 25 acres of Government land to the trust. Even after getting all the benefits from Government, the trust managed by Raja failed to complete infrastructure for smooth running of the hospital and medical college.

Raja had obtained permission from the MCI for students’ admission in MBBS course for two academic years, i.e., 2013-14 and 2014-15 by showing allegedly manufactured/false documents claiming to have all the facilities required by the MCI for granting permission keeping the authorities in dark in violation of terms and conditions of the MoU.

The tactics adopted by Raja and others of the trust were detected by the MCI and further permission was not granted for admission in the third academic year, i.e., 2015-16. Though the accused had got previous knowledge that the MCI would not permit the college for admissions in 2015-16, he still collected huge amounts of money from a number of students as capitation fee in violation of terms and conditions of the MCI.

In addition, he also collected a big amount from 124 students as caution money. In the mid-session, he closed the college and allegedly misappropriated the total money collected.

The Odisha Government had in 2015 lodged an FIR against Raja at the Junagarh police station. The WODC also lodged a complaint accusing him of violating the MoU, fraudulent documentation and playing with the future of hundreds of medical students.