Venugopal reinstated as AIIMS director

Venugopal challenged an amendment to the AIIMS Act that fixed the upper age of retirement of Director at 65 years, a step that forced him to him relinquish office.

A bench of Justice Tarun Chatterjee and H S Bedi upheld the appeal filed by Venugopal challenging the impugned law as being discriminatory and malafidely brought to superannuate him.         Venugopal had contended that the amendment was brought with the sole purpose of removing him from his office due to his differences with Ramadoss.

 

Senior counsel and former Law Minister Arun Jaitley had contended on behalf of Venugopal that the Act was illegal as the High Court had in March last year upheld his continuation in the post and the matter was pending in the apex court. But the Centre in the meantime brought the amendment in Parliament, he said.

The law was enacted after a no-holds barred confrontation between Venugopal and the Health Minister over the control of the prestigious institute.

In effect, the judgement would mean that the government is now under an obligation to bring back the Director.