Now Reading: CBI books CDSCO official, pharma MD in bribery case
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CBI books CDSCO official, pharma MD in bribery case
The CBI has registered a corruption case against Bikash Roy, assistant drug controller at the CDSCO sub-zonal office in Visakhapatnam, and H Vikram, managing director of Artura Pharmaceuticals, over an alleged bribery…
The Story in Brief
The CBI has registered a corruption case against Bikash Roy, assistant drug controller at the CDSCO sub-zonal office in Visakhapatnam, and H Vikram, managing director of Artura Pharmaceuticals, over an alleged bribery scheme to clear applications for WHO certification. The FIR, filed on August 6, states that three applications from Artura were pending with Roy, who allegedly sought an undue advantage to process them without a physical inspection.
According to the CBI, Roy was collecting Rs 30,000 to Rs 40,000 per file and expected annual payments. Vikram allegedly planned to pay Rs 50,000 on August 6. A Hyderabad-based consultant, Sirimisetty Prasad, is mentioned as an intermediary who allegedly advised negotiating the bribe down to Rs 30,000. Prasad has not been named an accused. The case was based on source information, with a deputy superintendent appointed as trap laying officer.
The Indian Opinion
This case fans the familiar narrative that pharma regulation is a bazaar where clearances are for sale. But every corrupt official should not tar honest ones, and every whistleblower tip should be backed by solid evidence. The CBI's trap officer will test whether the bribe was actually demanded and accepted. That outcome, not just the FIR, will decide if the system needs another overhaul or if individual bad actors are being weeded out.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
