Venugopal will not be Sacked Before Court Verdict: Central Government

The central government Thursday assured the Delhi High Court that it would not sack All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) director P. Venugopal from the post till the court decided on his petition.

Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramaniam gave this assurance to the court when counsel for Venugopal, Arun Jaitley, asked for a provision from the court on the government from acting upon the AIIMS governing body's recommendation of Wednesday.

Subramaniam submitted before Justice Anil Kumar that the government would not act upon the recommendation till the court decided on Venugopal's petition.

Venugopal, a renowned cardiologist, moved the high court following the governing body's resolution recommended the government to sack him for "violating the code of conduct".

Subramaniam also suggested to Jaitley to request Venugopal to relinquish the post on his own, following which the governing body would withdraw the recommendation for an amicable solution to the dispute.

Jaitley, however, showed little interest in the compromise formula saying that Venugopal's utmost concern was to protect the autonomy of the prestigious institute and there was no question of considering any out-of-court settlement unless the director's concern was addressed by the court.

Earlier Jaitley said the governing body's recommendation to remove Venugopal was malafide and unlawful as the body was not properly constituted.

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He submitted that the health minister and the health secretary were nominated to the body in violation of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences Act.

However, Subramaniam argued that the governing body was in full legal competence to make the recommendation. He said a director of the institute could be removed like any other employee by serving him a three months' notice or three months' salary.

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The matter will be heard further Friday.

(Source: IANS)