The National Medical Commission (NMC) has announced actions against a private medical college in Karnataka and has blacklisted a senior doctor who served as an assessor, following a bribery investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). This decisive was published through an NMC Press Release dated July 2, 2025.
In May, the CBI reported the arrest of an NMC assessor, a senior doctor, immediately after he allegedly accepted a bribe of Rs 10 Lakhs. The payment was reportedly in exchange for a positive assessment report concerning a private medical college in Karnataka. An FIR has been lodged by the CBI against several assessors, college authorities, and other individuals, with the matter currently under investigation.
The Medical Assessment & Rating Board (MARB) of the NMC has viewed this incident with extreme seriousness and has decided on “exemplary actions.” As a result:
- The involved assessor has been blacklisted pending the ongoing investigation and final verdict in the matter.
- The renewal of existing undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) seats for the implicated college will not be approved for the Academic Year (AY) 2025-26.
- Furthermore, all applications submitted by the said college for increasing seats or starting new UG and PG courses for AY 2025-26 have been cancelled and will not be processed.
The NMC clarified that its assessors are senior faculty members from various government medical colleges across the country who volunteer to conduct periodic inspections. They are not direct employees of the Commission but are pooled through a randomization process for their assignments.
The Commission reaffirmed its dedication to upholding utmost integrity and transparency in all its operations. It emphasized a “no tolerance policy towards corruption” and stated that any such untoward incident by individuals or medical institutions would be dealt with strictly as per the relevant penal provisions of the NMC Act and its Regulations. Potential actions against violators include monetary penalties, withholding applications for new schemes, reducing student intake, stopping admissions to courses, and recommending action against concerned assessors to competent authorities or the Ethics and Medical Registration Board of the Commission.
The NMC has strongly advised all medical colleges and stakeholders to strictly adhere to its rules and regulations, and to uphold the core values of quality medical education, professionalism, and public trust.