The Medical Board of California has filed a formal accusation against San Diego-area psychiatrist Dr. Ankur Bindal alleging professional misconduct involving a former patient and several employees of his psychiatric practice. Bindal has disputed the allegations and said he intends to defend himself.
The allegations became public in 2025 and concern Bindal’s work at KMG Psychiatry, a practice he founded in the San Diego area. According to the Medical Board accusation described by ABC 10News, regulators allege that Bindal engaged in an inappropriate sexual relationship with a female psychiatric patient while she was receiving treatment.
The allegations remain part of an administrative disciplinary process. A Medical Board accusation represents charges brought by the regulator and should not be confused with a final determination that the allegations have been proven.
Allegations Involving a Patient
According to the Medical Board’s allegations, the patient began receiving treatment from Bindal in 2020 for depression and anxiety.
The Board alleges that inappropriate physical contact began during the patient’s initial appointment and later developed into sexual encounters that occurred during multiple clinical visits at Bindal’s office.
California regulators further allege that Bindal provided the patient with money while she was under his care.
The Board’s accusation also addresses Bindal’s alleged conduct after questions arose concerning the relationship. According to the allegations reported by 10News, Bindal instructed the patient to prepare an email taking responsibility for crossing a professional boundary.
Regulators additionally allege that Bindal drafted a statement on the patient’s behalf and encouraged her to provide limited information to a state investigator.
Based on the alleged conduct, the Medical Board accused Bindal of several forms of professional wrongdoing, including sexual exploitation, sexual misconduct, gross negligence, repeated negligent acts, dishonest or corrupt acts, inadequate recordkeeping and unprofessional conduct.
These are allegations contained in a regulatory proceeding and not, by themselves, findings that Bindal committed the alleged acts.
Allegations Involving KMG Psychiatry Employees
The Medical Board proceeding also contains allegations involving three women who worked at KMG Psychiatry.
According to the accusation as reported by 10News, the three employees alleged that Bindal sexually harassed them.
One former employee further alleged that after complaining to management, her working hours were reduced. According to the Medical Board’s allegations, a manager subsequently told the employee that Bindal had wanted her terminated.
The allegations concerning the employees form another component of the broader professional disciplinary case involving Bindal.
Dr. Ankur Bindal Responds
Bindal disputed the allegations after they became public.
In a written response provided to 10News, he described learning of the accusation as extremely difficult for himself and his family and stated that the alleged behavior was not consistent with his character.
Bindal also indicated that he expected to present evidence and defend himself as the disciplinary process moved forward.
At the time of the December 2025 report, the Medical Board confirmed that Bindal retained the right to contest the allegations at a hearing before an administrative law judge.
That procedural status is significant. Filing an accusation begins a formal disciplinary process, but the accusation itself does not establish that the physician committed the alleged misconduct.
Professional Background of Dr. Ankur Bindal
Separate from the Medical Board proceeding, Bindal has worked in psychiatry, sleep medicine and healthcare management.
According to professional information provided by Bindal, he founded KMG Psychiatry in 2016 and served as its president through 2025. His professional profile describes him as a psychiatrist with credentials and experience in both psychiatry and sleep medicine.
Before establishing KMG Psychiatry, Bindal worked at Yuma Regional Medical Center between 2013 and 2016 as a medical director, general psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist.
He previously completed a Sleep Medicine fellowship at Michigan Medicine from 2012 to 2013. His professional background also includes involvement with the American Psychiatric Association, where he participated in its Diversity Leadership Fellowship and Council of Healthcare Systems and Financing.
Bindal’s stated educational background includes a medical degree from Government Medical College & Hospital and a Master of Public Health focused on clinical research and biostatistics from the University of North Texas Health Science Center, now known as UNT Health Fort Worth.
His professional profile identifies him as a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and describes additional professional credentials related to sleep medicine, psychiatry and public health.
Business and Investment Activities
Bindal’s professional activities have also extended beyond clinical medicine.
According to the background information provided for this article, Bindal has served as president of Aroga Group of Companies since 2020. The organization is described as being involved in private equity and real estate investment and development.
This business activity is separate from the allegations involving his psychiatric practice, and the Medical Board allegations described in the public reporting reviewed for this article do not establish a connection between the Aroga Group and the alleged conduct.
California’s Physician Disciplinary Process
The allegations against Bindal arose amid broader scrutiny in California concerning physician sexual misconduct and the circumstances under which doctors accused or found responsible for misconduct may continue practicing medicine.
California enacted legislation in 2023 addressing certain licensing consequences associated with sexual misconduct. However, a Medical Board representative told 10News that it was too early to determine how those provisions might apply to Bindal’s case.
At the time the allegations were reported, the matter had not reached the point of a final administrative determination.
Current Status of the Public Record
The distinction between an accusation and a final disciplinary finding is important when reviewing Medical Board records.
The available reporting establishes that the Medical Board of California filed an accusation against Dr. Ankur Bindal containing serious allegations involving a patient and employees of KMG Psychiatry. It also establishes that Bindal disputed the allegations and indicated that he intended to defend himself.
As with other administrative proceedings, the ultimate outcome may differ from the allegations contained in the initial filing. Any final disciplinary decision, dismissal, settlement, license restriction or other resolution should therefore be considered alongside the original accusation when evaluating the complete public record.
Until such an outcome is established, the allegations should be described as allegations rather than proven misconduct.