New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday, November 6, granted regular bail to two senior doctors arrested in the alleged Rs 842-crore Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) medical procurement case, Bar and Bench reported. Justice Sachin Datta held that the continued custody of Dr Vinod Kumar Ranga and Dr Vatsala Aggarwal was not necessary, as the investigation had substantially progressed and the prosecution's case rested largely on documentary and electronic evidence already seized.

Source: Bar and Bench

No money traced to either doctor, court noted

The court noted that no money had been traced to either applicant and that the alleged financial loss of Rs 842 crore was not conclusively established against them, Bar and Bench reported. It also recorded that both are doctors with permanent residences in Delhi and no criminal antecedents. Dr Ranga was the then Head of Office of the Central Procurement Agency (CPA), while Dr Aggarwal was the Director General of DGHS.

Source: Bar and Bench

By a common order, the court directed that both be released on a personal bond of Rs 50,000 each with one surety of like amount, and restrained them from entering the premises of the CPA or DGHS without prior permission of the trial court, Devdiscourse reported. The order came weeks after the Rouse Avenue Court rejected their bail applications on October 17, citing the gravity of the alleged offences and the need for further investigation.

Source: Devdiscourse

What the prosecution alleges

The case arises from FIR No. 07/2026, registered on June 2, 2026, by the Anti-Corruption Branch on a complaint by the Deputy Director (Vigilance), under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, LawChakra reported. The prosecution alleges cartelisation in the CPA's procurement of medicines, surgical items, equipment and linen, with tenders carrying restrictive, tailor-made specifications to favour firms linked to co-accused Rajeev Kumar, and payments of about Rs 842 crore to five firms. These are allegations; the case is yet to be decided on trial.

Source: LawChakra

Dr Ranga was arrested on June 18, 2026, and Dr Aggarwal on June 27, 2026. A charge-sheet was filed on September 16 against five accused, citing 84 witnesses and running to about 12,000 pages, according to the court reporting. The High Court observed that pre-trial detention cannot be used to compel an accused to produce documents he is alleged to have made away with, noting that the allegedly missing tender files remained untraced after months of custody and multiple searches.