The legal battle over financial irregularities at RG Kar Medical College took a dramatic turn today as former Deputy Superintendent Akhtar Ali surrendered before the Alipur Special CBI Court. Ali, who had been missing from public view since the court issued a non-bailable arrest warrant (NBW) against him last Friday, arrived at the court premises on Tuesday to submit to the judicial process.

Akhtar Ali was initially the whistleblower who dragged former Principal Sandip Ghosh to the Calcutta High Court, leading to Ghosh’s arrest by the CBI. However, the investigation turned on Ali when the CBI named him in its charge sheet for allegedly accepting bribes in exchange for hospital tenders. Following the rejection of his anticipatory bail by the High Court, the Alipur special court had ordered his immediate arrest, dismissing his claims of ill-health as “delay tactics.”

Before entering the courtroom, Ali maintained his innocence, claiming that the transactions in his account were personal loans taken for his late brother’s treatment during COVID. He accused certain individuals of betraying him. With Ali now in court, the focus shifts to whether the judge will remand him to judicial custody or grant the CBI his custody for further interrogation.