Prof Venugopal's appointment challenged

New Delhi, May 16 (UNI) The Union Government today sought to justify before the Delhi High Court the appointment of Professor P Venugopal as the Director of the AIIMS and his dual post of head of Cardiac Thorasic department beyond the age of superannuation.

After hearing the preliminary arguments, a division bench headed by Justice M K Shrama adjourned the matter till tomorrow.

Counsel Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the Centre for Public Interest Litigation, argued that the Union of India and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) had illegally appointed Prof Venugopal to the dual post for five years.

Prof Venugopal, who is now 64-years-old, should have been superannuated two years back at the age of 62.

''Not only Prof Venugopal is being allowed to continue as Director of the AIIMS much beyond the age of superannuation which is 62 years as fixed by statutory reulations, but in addition he has also been permitted to hold the post of Professor of Cardio-Thorasic and Vascular Surgery since July 2003,'' said the petition.

According to the set norms and regulations, the director of the AIIMS should relinquish the post of the head of the department which he was holding at the time of the appointment.

Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium submitted that any qulified person could be appointed to the post of Director of the AIIMS at any age and the post was for a fixed period of five years.

In case of Dr Venugopal, the government made some concession by allowing him to continue as the head of the Cardio-Thorasic and Vascular Surgery as he was an eminent doctor in the country.

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