Kolkata

A single-judge vacation bench of the Calcutta High Court canceled contracts awarded to private security firms at government hospitals in two districts of West Bengal on Tuesday, citing violations of regulations. Justice Shampa Dutta (Paul) instructed the Chief Medical Officers of Health (CMOHs) in East Midnapore and West Midnapore to swiftly annul the contracts given to ineligible security agencies.

The court requested that the CMOHs file affidavits explaining the basis for awarding contracts to these specific agencies, which had been found unsuitable for the role. The bench noted that the new contracts were awarded after terminating a previous agreement with a qualified security firm.

This ruling holds significance amid ongoing investigations by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into financial irregularities linked to the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata. Key allegations in this case include manipulation of the tendering process to favor unqualified private contractors in exchange for substantial kickbacks. The former principal of R.G. Kar, Sandip Ghosh, is a primary suspect, alongside two private contractors involved in supplying medical equipment.

Additional charges in this case involve bypassing state public works regulations for infrastructure projects, mismanagement of biomedical waste, and allegations of organ trafficking from unidentified bodies in the hospital morgue.