M A I N   N E W S

Prof Venugopal sacked
Tripti Nath
Tribune News Service

SC to hear petition on Dec 3 Accepting the plea for an “urgent hearing”, the Supreme Court today fixed for Monday, hearing of Prof P. Venugopal’s petition challenging Parliament’s decision to fix 65 years as the superannuation age for the post of institute’s director.

New Delhi, November 30
In a day of swift developments, the government removed AIIMS director and noted cardiac surgeon Professor P. Venugopal hours within the presidential assent to the controversial AIIMS and the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (Amendment) Bill, 2007.

Sources in the health ministry said that soon after the presidential assent, the ministry headed by Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, the arch rival of Professor Venugopal, issued a notification for implementing the Act. It took no time for the ministry to come out with an order sacking Professor Venugopal.

Sources in AIIMS confirmed that the seniormost professor in the institute, Professor T.D. Dogra (forensic medicine) has been given charge of director.

Surprisingly, Professor Dogra, dean (examination), was recently suspended by the governing body of the institute for not cooperating with the committee appointed to look into allegations of caste discrimination. He is reported to have subsequently got relief on the suspension order from the court.

The much-resisted bill fixing age of superannuation at 65 for directors of AIIMS and PGI, Chandigarh, received presidential assent this evening. The bill seeks to fix the term of the director for five years or till he/she attains the age of 65, whichever is earlier. President Pratibha Patil passed the bill two days after Parliament passed the AIIMS and the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (Amendment) Bill.

As the news spread in the institute here, the Faculty Association of AIIMS (FAIMS) and the Resident Doctors Association (RDA) held a candlelight march on the campus to express solidarity with their 65-year-old director, a noted cardiac surgeon.

Sources in FAIMS are confident that that the Supreme Court would have the last word on the matter.

His loyalists feel that the government's motive in introducing the bill was to curtail the already victimised Professor Venugopal's tenure. They say that the government has been misguided by Professor Venugopal's arch rival, union health minister Anbumani Ramadoss.

“Professor Venugopal's tenure was to come to an end on July 2, 2008. Where was the hurry to introduce the bill?”

Asked if Professor Venugopal will have to face humiliation following presidential assent, AIIMS spokesperson, Dr Shakti Kumar Gupta said, “We have to wait and watch. The meeting of the AIIMS governing body is scheduled for December 7. Besides, AIIMS director's petition to the Supreme Court is also listed for hearing on December 3.”

Reacting to the news, Dr Anoop Saraya, convener of the Progressive Medicos and Scientists Forum, said, “This means an honourable exit for the director who should have been tried under the Prevention of Atrocities Act for supporting the anti-reservation stir last May and paralysing health services at the institute for 19 days.”

Dr Saraya wondered as to why the government even felt the need to introduce such a bill as the AIIMS Act empowers the institute body to remove the director in public interest.

Dr Kapil Yadav, a senior resident at AIIMS and a member of PMSF, said, “We are not happy with the bill but we are happy with the outcome of the bill as far as Professor Venugopal is concerned. His stay in the institute is a matter of days, as he will have to go as soon as the bill is notified.''