Mumbai’s BKC Jumbo COVID Centre has come under scrutiny following allegations concerning procurement, contractor payments and distribution of medical equipment during the facility’s COVID-19 operations. Senior journalist and RTI activist Ketan Tirodkar has sought a CBI FIR and a detailed investigation, while the complaint has also reached the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau. The allegations relate to records maintained during Dr. Rajesh Dere’s tenure as Dean and include purchases, contracts, payments and the transfer of high-value equipment to BMC hospitals. The allegations remain unproven and require verification by competent authorities.
BKC Jumbo COVID Centre Under Corruption Scanner: CBI FIR Demand Over Alleged Multi-Crore Fund Irregularities
A complaint seeking a CBI FIR and detailed probe into alleged procurement, payments and equipment-distribution irregularities at Mumbai’s BKC Jumbo COVID Centre has also reached Maharashtra’s ACB.
BKC Jumbo COVID Centre has come under scrutiny following allegations of financial irregularities and possible misuse of public funds, prompting a demand for investigation by central authorities.
Senior journalist and RTI activist Ketan Tirodkar has approached the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), alleging irregularities involving procurement, contractor payments and distribution of medical equipment.
The allegations relate to the period when Dr. Rajesh Dere served as Dean of the BKC Jumbo COVID Centre, with the complaint seeking examination of financial and administrative records.
ACB Maharashtra Complaint Reaches Mumbai Unit
The matter has also reached the Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), according to email correspondence provided in connection with Tirodkar’s complaint.
The complaint was sent to the Director General, ACB Maharashtra, on 24 August 2026, and was subsequently forwarded to the Additional Commissioner of Police, ACB Mumbai, on 25 August.
The forwarding of the complaint does not establish wrongdoing, but indicates that the allegations have been placed before Maharashtra’s anti-corruption machinery for consideration.
The complaint seeks an exhaustive examination of purchases reportedly undertaken during the relevant period, including medical instruments, PPE kits, medicines and emergency supplies.
It also seeks scrutiny of syringes, consumables, ICU equipment and other critical-care material, alongside original receipts, bills, approvals and supporting financial documentation.
BKC COVID Procurement And High-Value Equipment Under Scrutiny
A central issue raised by the complaint concerns the fate of high-value equipment following the closure or handover of the BKC Jumbo COVID Centre.
The complaint specifically seeks records concerning ventilators, patient monitors, ICU beds, BiPAP machines and oxygen plants allegedly distributed to various BMC municipal hospitals.
Tirodkar has sought examination of asset registers, authorised inventories, distribution records and handover documents to establish where major equipment was transferred.
The verification could help determine whether official records correspond with equipment reportedly transferred from the BKC facility to municipal hospitals.
The complaint also calls for scrutiny of contracts and work orders allegedly issued during Dr. Rajesh Dere’s tenure, including those involving Lifeline Hospital Management Services (LHMS).
Investigators have been asked to examine tender or selection procedures, work orders, file notings, bills, payments and final approvals connected with these contracts.
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RTI Application Seeks Financial And Contractual Records
Tirodkar has separately filed RTI Application PUBHD/R/2026/61615, dated 23 August 2026, seeking records relating to procurement and contractual activities during the relevant period.
The application seeks the monetary value of purchases made between 2020 and 2022, along with copies of purchase receipts and details concerning equipment distributed after the centre’s closure.
It also seeks names of municipal hospitals that received equipment, copies of work orders issued to LHMS and other contractors, and relevant administrative file notings.
The complaint further requests registration of an FIR, preservation or seizure of relevant BMC Health Department records, and a time-bound investigation.
The allegations refer to possible criminal breach of trust, cheating, criminal conspiracy and offences under anti-corruption legislation, subject to verification by competent authorities.
Dr Rajesh Dere Yet To Respond
The allegations remain unproven, and no finding of criminal liability should be inferred unless established through investigation, documentary evidence and due legal process.
A Sprouts News correspondent contacted Dr. Rajesh Dere for his response to the allegations. However, Dr. Rajesh Dere had not responded at the time of publication.
Sprouts News will publish Dr. Rajesh Dere’s response if and when he contacts the organisation with his comments regarding the allegations.
The key questions now concern who authorised the purchases, the total procurement value, contractors receiving payments, original bills and file notings, and equipment distribution.
Authorities may also need to establish whether asset registers accurately reflect equipment transferred from the BKC facility and whether public expenditure was properly accounted for.
The complaint’s progress before the CBI and Maharashtra ACB, alongside the RTI process, could determine whether the allegations lead to a formal investigation.
If documentary records substantiate wrongdoing, responsibility would need to be determined through due process; if not, transparent verification could clarify the financial trail.
The case therefore remains at the complaint and information-gathering stage, with official records, procurement documents, payment trails and asset registers likely to determine its next phase.
