Bill introduced for sacking AIIMS Director on 3-months notice

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

New Delhi, Aug 20 (UNI) Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss, who has fought a long legal and administrative battle with AIIMS Director P Venugopal to sack him, today introduced in the Lok Sabha a Bill that seeks to empower the Centre to terminate the Director's services on a three-month notice.

A similar provision is being sought to be made for the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh.

According to the Financial Memorandum of the Bill, the term of the Director will be for five years or till the age of 65 whichever is earlier. The Act will involve an expenditure not exceeding Rs 4 lakh from the Consolidated Fund of India.

''The Central Government shall, if it is of the opinion that it is in the public interest so to do, have the right to terminate the term of office of the Director at any time before the expiry of his term by giving him a notice of not less than three months in writing or three months' salary and allowances in lieu thereof,'' the provisions of the Bill said.

The Bill is titled the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (Amendment) Bill, 2007.

The ''statement of objects and reasons'' of the Bill specifically refers to the March 29, 2007 order of the Delhi High Court and maintains that the move is necessary to stem the deterioration in governance in the institute and comply with the directives of the court.

''It is, therefore, considered desirable that the tenure of office of the Directors should not be left for determination through the mechanism of subordinate legislation. Rather, it should be made a part of the AIIMS Act, 1956 and the PGIMER, Chandigarh, Act, 1956.

''This would ensure that any modification in the tenure of the Director in future would require the approval of Parliament. This will also strengthen the autonomous status of the Institute,'' the statement said.

The High Court had held that the Director is an employee of the Institute but the provisions of regulation 30, which prescribe the age of superannuation for non-teaching employees as 60 and for teaching faculty as 62, does not apply for the post of Director.

It held that the appointment to the Director's post was a ''tenure appointment'' and was incapable of being curtailed except for justifiable reason and with notice to the Director, and that too in accordance with law.

The court had also directed the Centre and the Institute's Governing Body 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.

The litigation over the tenure of AIIMS Director has highlighted the deficiencies in the existing rules and regulations, the statement said.

UNI

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