Follow due procedure to remove AIIMS Director: HC

New Delhi, Mar 29 (UNI) The Delhi High Court today held that AIIMS director P Venugopal could only be removed by following due procedure of law, but he would have to relinquish his second post as head of the cardiac surgery department.

A division bench of Justice Swatantra Kumar and H R Malhotra said, ''The Institute governing body is free to proceed in accordance with the law and on the basis of the questionnaire served upon the Director to which he has already replied and pass such orders with the prior approval of the Government, as it may deem fit and proper in the circumstances of the case.'' While vacating the stay granted by the single bench on the dismissal of Dr Venugopal by the institute's governing body last year, the court said Dr Venugopal would continue to be the Director of the Institute.

The Court said the Institute governing body was the supreme decision making body and the autonomy of the institute is necessary for the attaining excellance in the medical field.

If there would be any such decision for his removal by the Institute governing body, the order would not be given effect for a period of two weeks after it's communication to the Director, the order said.

The Director should relinquish the post of the professor or head of the department in larger public interest.

While blaming both Union Health Minister Ambumani Ramadoss and Director Venugopal for the sorrid state of affairs in the institute, the Court said, ''Both are expected to leave their personal esteem and differences behind in the larger public interest and work together in the larger interest of AIIMS.'' Instead of aggravating their differences, they could have resolved and worked with greater confidence and objectivity, keeping the interest of the institute in mind.

The Court directed the government to frame a uniform policy as the post of director had been always a bone of contention since the 1970s. ''We direct the government to formulate a policy covering the various facets and conditions of service of its employees including the director of the institute in accordance with law and to uniformly apply such policy in the times to come.'' UNI PAT Mir RK1928