Govt seeks court's permission to sack Dr Venugopal

New Delhi, Feb 5 (UNI) The Centre today asked the Delhi High Court to set aside the order of the single bench which barred the Institute Body (IB) of the AIIMS to hold a meeting to discuss the dismissal of its Director P Venugopal.

Additional Solicitor General(ASG) Gopal Subramanium submitted before a bench of Justices Swatanter Kumar and H R Malhotra the IB of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences(AIIMS) should be allowed to take a decision on the fate of Dr Venugopal, who was facing charges of financial irregularities.

The single bench headed by Justice Anil Kumar in its judgement in November 2006 had restrained the IB in removing Dr Venugopal from Director's post till the final disposal of the petition filed by him.

Subramanium said there were allegations of financial mismanagement, maladministration, parochial attitude and tacit support to the strike during the anti-reservation agitation against Dr Venugopal.

In July 2006, a decision was taken by the Institute President and Union Health Minister Ambumani Ramdoss supported by the majority of the 17 members of the IB to sack Dr Venugopal from his post.

The High Court stayed the decision following a petition filed by Dr Venugopal challenging the decision for his termination.

After the court's intervention, the government withdrew its decision.

UNI