Venugopal says Minister calls Instiute body meeting to oust him

New Delhi, Oct 6 (UNI) AIIMS Director Dr P Venugopal today submitted before the Delhi High Court that Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss, who is also the president of the Institute, had called the Institute Body meeting to oust him from the director post.

Submitting his reply before the bench of Justice Anil Kumar, Dr Venugopal said the Minister had one-point agenda to remove him from the office of the director of the AIIMS.

He had sent a communication on September 21 for a meeting of the Institute Body(IB) to be held on October 10, without mentioning any agenda.

As the Secretary of the IB, he was asked to circulate the notice to the members to attend the crucial meeting.

When the Minister was asked to mention about the agenda, he said there was no need for it to while serving the notice, said the application.

The matter will come up for hearing on October 10, on the date the meeting of the IB was scheduled to be held at Nirman Bhawan, the headquarters of the Union Healt Ministry.

Dr Venugopal alleged that the Minister appointed A Rajasekharan, one of his close relatives, as the president of the National Board of Examination (NBE) and president of NBE Shyam Prasad had been made a member of the IB.

He said this was pending before the High Court seeking direction for the removal of the Union Health Minister and Health Secretary from holding posts in the Institute Governing Body.

In a petition filed by Counsel Sugiv Dubey and Namita Roy, for petitioner Dr S S Kale and others alleged that a Parliamentary Committee in 1996 had said there would be no autonomy in the AIIMS if both the Minister and Secretary were in the Institute Body.

The petition assumed importance as there was a move by the Institute Body headed by Ramadoss to dismiss AIIMS Director D R Venugopal from the post.

UNI PAT AK RN2001