Rema Nagarajan
(New Delhi, September 20) Hindustan Times

The national Commi-ssion of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes has accused the Director of the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences of a clear "anti-SC/ST bias" in its enquiry report into the appointment of a professor at AIIMS.

The panel's enquiry was on a complaint received from Additional Prof., AIIMS, Dr P N Dogra who alleged that he had been denied appointment to the post of Professor of Urology at the institute.

In its report, the commission has asked the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to look into the matter and cancel the appointment of Dr A K Hemal, who had been appointed to the said post, and to take stern action against AIIMS authorities, and sought justice for Dr Dogra immediately.

The commission, in its report dated July 5, 2000, has also sought a compliance report within a month. So far there has been no action in this regard.

The post in question fell vacant on June 30, 1998 due to the superannuation of Dr S N Wadhwa. AIIMS issued two advertisements at the beginning of 1998 for a total of six posts, including posts which were going to fall vacant in September 1998. But the post of Professor of Urology, which was going to fall vacant in June 1998, was not included in the advertisements.

There was no explanation from AIIMS in this regard which deprived Dr Dogra of his opportunity for appointment from an early period, observed the report.

In the interview for the post of Urology Professor, three candidates, including Dr Dogra, appeared. Dr Hemal was recommended for the post but the Governing Body, which has to approve the appointment, stated that secretary of health J A Chowdhury, and the Director, Dr P K Dave, should examine Dr Hemal's eligibility before the appointment letter was issued.

Dr Dave and Mr Chowdhury concluded that if the experience of Dr Hemal in general surgery at the G R Medical College, Gwalior, and Safdarjung Hospital, is counted, he fulfils the eligibility criteria.

However, in an extraordinary meeting of the GB on April 3, they decided to appoint Dr Hemal to the post though Dr Dave and Dr Choudhary had not taken any clear decision regarding his eligibility.

In its report, the commission also noted that in an earlier case in the High Court, where an SC doctor had applied for the post of a professor in a speciality division in AIIMS, had defended the position that experience gained in general surgery could not be considered as experience in the subject of speciality, but in the present case, the same AIIMS authorities had treated the experience of Dr Hemal in general surgery as experience in the speciality of Urology.