CAT hears AIIMS doctor's plea

The AIIMS Friday accused Sudhir Gupta, who is in the centre of a controversy over the autopsy report of Sunanda Pushkar, of causing adverse publicity for the institute by levelling baseless allegations.

The submissions from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) came before the Central Administration Tribunal (CAT), which was hearing a service related case filed by Gupta, the head of the AIIMS forensic department.

Gupta has filed a case before the principal CAT bench at New Delhi regarding the promotion of another member of the faculty of forensic medicine department.

Hearing the matter Friday, a bench headed by A.K. Bhardwaj directed the union health ministry and AIIMS to file their responses in connection with the case.

It also sought the minutes of AIIMS general body meeting held on May 12, where a decision to elevate doctor O.P. Murthy as the head of the AIIMS forensic department was taken.

The tribunal even asked counsel of both the doctors that they were making a "small issue very big". "I wonder, if doctors are so much interested in doing clerical work," said the tribunal.

Advocate Naushad Ahmad Khan, who appeared on behalf of the health ministry, told the tribunal that the ministry has sought records pertaining to the case from AIIMS and it needs two weeks to file reply.

AIIMS' counsel Mehmood Pracha said: "It (AIIMS) cannot take any disciplinary action against him (Gupta) as the matter is pending in the court. This person is crossing all the limits and threatening other people, including the director."

"Gupta is creating adverse publicity of AIIMS by making baseless allegations before the media," Pracha said.

The tribunal set July 30 as the next date of hearing.

Earlier, Gupta created a controversy by saying that he was pressurised by top officials to show that Pushkar's death was "natural".

Pushkar, wife of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, was found dead in her room at a hotel in Delhi Jan 17. Pushkar was found dead in her room at a five-star hotel in Delhi Jan 17.