HC ultimatum on Ramadoss' role

ON AIIMS BODY: The Delhi High Court on Thursday warned that it would restrain Union health minister A Ramadoss from acting as president of AIIMS governing body if the Centre failed to file a reply on his suitability for the post. Justice P Anil Kumar granted two weeks time to the Union government to file a reply on the issue and posted the matter for further hearing to September 27.

Justice Anil Kumar gave the ultimatum after the Centre and Aiims failed to file their replies on a petition challenging continuance of the Health Minister and the Union health secretary in the governing body.

The court had on July 1 sought replies within four weeks on the petition filed by one Dr S Kale and nine others alleging that the two had been inducted into the body illegally in violation of the amended Aiims Act, 2000.

Counsel Sugriva Dubey appearing for the petitioners submitted that a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) in 1996 strongly recommended that the Union health minister and health secretary should not be members of the governing body to protect the institute’s autonomy.

In pursuance of the JPC’s recommendation, the Aiims Act was amended in 2000 to preclude the two functionaries from being governing body members. However, the petition alleged that in violation of the rules, the two functionaries were inducted into the governing body.