Chandigarh: CAT to take call on extending retirement age of GMCH doctors

Chandigarh, March 16

The Chandigarh Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) will decide the issue of extension of the retirement age of the doctors of the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32 , Chandigarh, from 62 to 65 years.

The issue came before the tribunal after Dr Alka Sehgal, Professor and Head, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Genetic Centre, GMCH-32, challenged the decision of retiring her at the age of 62.

While staying her retirement, the court fixed March 25 as the next date of hearing in the case.

Dr Sehgal had moved CAT through senior advocate RS Bains.

While citing the judgment of the Punjab and Haryana High Court pronounced in the case of Dr Joginder Pal Singh and others versus the Union of India and others on March 1 last year, Bains argued before the tribunal to pass a direction to the respondents (the Union of India and the UT Administration) to treat her case on a par with the Centre-funded institutions and not to retire her at the age of 62.

Bains argued that the applicant was recruited through the Union Public Service Commission. He said despite that fact that the age of superannuation for medical professionals had been enhanced to 65 by the Central Government and a number of states, the respondents were retiring her at 62 years of age following the services rules of the Government of Punjab. Moreover, the age of retirement has been enhanced up to 65 years in all Centre-funded institutions.

He further stated that qualifications of the medical teachers were regulated according to the minimum qualifications for teachers in the Medical Institutions Regulations, 1998, of the Medical Council of India (MCI).

The MCI has fixed the maximum age limit for medical teachers as 70 years. Despite this, the state of Punjab and the UT Administration did nothing to increase the age, thereby ignoring the shortage of qualified doctors in the country.

He pleaded before CAT to direct the respondents to recall the order and letters whereby she was asked to submit her papers for pension.

CAT member Suresh Kumar Monga, in the order, stated, “In view of the principles laid down in the case of Dr Joginder Pal Sigh and others and the fact that the matter is under active consideration of the Union of India and the UT Administration, we direct the respondents to maintain the status quo with regard to the applicant’s services during the pendency of the original application.”