Dr Venugopal seeks Valiathan Committee report

New Delhi, Nov 7 (UNI) AIIMS Director P Venugopal today submitted before the Delhi High Court that he should be provided with the report of the Dr M S Valiathan committee constituted by the Centre to look into the autonomy of the premier medical institute.

Appearing before Justice Anil Kumar, Counsel Maninder Singh said that he could only file a reply to the affidavit of the government on the removal of Dr Venugopal after he was provided with the copy of a report.

While extending the stay of removal of Dr Venugopal till February 22, 2007, the next date of hearing, the court asked the counsel to file an application seeking direction to the government to provide a copy.

Senior Counsel P N Lekhi appearing for the AIIMS, ''We are not going to give a copy of the report.'' As the government and AIIMS challenged the order of Justice Anil Kumar in a division bench, the court said the petition would be heard only after the decision was pronounced in the matter by acting Chief Justice Vijender Jain and Justice Kailash Gambhir.

Mr Singh said the AIIMS had referred to the Valiathan Committee report in its affidavit which filed countering the allegations; and the government was bound to provide him with a copy of the report.

It is presumed that the Valiathan Committee in its report had said that the Health Minister and Health Secretary should not be in the Institute Body(IB), the highest decision making body, for giving more autonomy to the institute.

Besides Dr. Valiathan, former Director of the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology in Thiruvananthapuram, the committee comprises M.K. Bhan, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology; P.K. Hota, the then Union Health and Family Welfare Secretary; and R.K. Srivastava, Director General of Health Services.

The Centre had constituted the committee in June, 2006 following the war of words between Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Anbumani Ramadoss and AIIMS Director P. Venugopal.

The Committee gave its report after three months of deliberations to turn the premier institution into a centre of excellence and a leader in public health services in the country.

Justice Anil Kumar on July 7, 2006 had stayed the move to terminate the job of Dr Venugopal on the ground that the intended action was "vitiated in law" and devoid of the principles of natural justice.

UNI PAT RL RS1745