Row over PMC chief’s tenure

Vishav Bharti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 16

The ongoing duel between Minister for Medical Education and Research Anil Joshi and Punjab Medical Council (PMC) president Dr GS Grewal has intensified as the minister has reportedly declared that Dr Grewal is no longer the PMC president as his term ended over a year ago.

However, Dr Grewal claimed he was still the president and his term would expire on December 21, 2016.

Sources in the Department of Medical Education and Research said the minister had directed the Secretary (medical education) to remove Dr Grewal from the post with immediate effect as his term ended on December 21, 2014, and initiate the process for nominating the new president.

They said the minister had also directed the Secretary to act against the officials who kept him in dark over the issue and allowed Dr Grewal to remain in office for more than a year even after the lapse of his term.

Despite repeated attempts, Secretary (medical education) Hussan Lal could not be contacted.

Dr Grewal said initially, he was appointed on December 22, 2011, for three years. But with a corrigendum to the earlier notification issued on September 11, 2014, by the Secretary (medical education), his term was extended till December 21, 2016.

“So, there is no question of my term ending before December 21, 2016, and the minister can’t turn a blind eye to the corrigendum,” he said.

“He wanted to protect the doctors who were involved in corruption, but I refused to accept his orders. It is a vendetta, earlier the minister ordered an inquiry against him, but couldn’t find anything. Now, he is resorting to these tactics,” he said.

He said it was only the Chief Minister’s prerogative to remove him from the post, before his term comes to an end.

Despite repeated attempts, Anil Joshi was unavailable for the comments.

Last month, the minister had ordered an inquiry into complaints against Dr Grewal. Dr Grewal is a brother of the adviser to the Chief Minister, Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal. Mahesh has been backing his brother.