 "AIIMS director withdraws remarks against Parlia Committee report")
The director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), M C Misra has withdrawn statements before the Delhi High Court calling the Parliamentary Standing Committee findings on corruption in the institute as baseless and without legal standing. The move comes after Parliament sent a notice on the matter to the Union health ministry.
In May this year, Misra told the court that Parliamentary Standing Committee's report, which strongly censured the health ministry for being non-serious in dealing with an array of corruption cases at the institute, had no foundation or legal sanctity.
The claims by AIIMS director were made in a case the institute is fighting against the ex-CVO of the institute Sanjiv Chaturvedi.
Misra's comments came in response to Chaturvedi quoting in his petition from a report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on health and family welfare. The committee had concluded "Evidently, the (health) ministry appears to be non-serious in tackling corruption at AIIMS. The Committee, therefore, strongly deprecates the non-serious approach of the Ministry towards tackling such a large number of cases of corruption at AIIMS." It said that "myriad corruption cases are under investigation involving AIIMS officials and doctors," and listed out several of them in the report which was tabled in Parliament in August 2015.
The AIIMS' director's filings before the Delhi High Court, dismissing the findings of Parliament committee got picked up by media (Parliamentary Standing Committee report on corruption in the hospital has no foundation: AIIMS). Subsequently, two members of Parliament, Chaudhary Munvvar Saleem and Ali Anwar Ansari wrote to the chairman of Rajya Sabha alleging breach of privilege by AIIMS and demanding action against the institute's officials. On August 8, Rajya Sabha sent a notice to the health ministry, asking it to submit a report on the alleged 'derogatory remarks' by AIIMS director in the institute's affidavit along with a copy of the affidavit. Reacting to the notice from Rajya Sabha, the health ministry asked the institute to submit a report to it.
Business Standard emailed queries to both, the AIIMS director and the Union health ministry. But, neither responded despite repeated reminders.
On August 17 the AIIMS director submitted an amended affidavit before the Delhi High Court. The amended affidavit completely expunges the original references and comments Misra made about the Parliamentary Standing Committee report. Neither AIIMS nor the health ministry replied to specific query about their reply to Rajya Sabha against the latter's notice. Sources claimed the ministry had not submitted a formal report to the upper house's secretariat till the end of last week but this could not be independently confirmed. The AIIMS director has retained all other arguments in his new affidavit dismissing Chaturvedi's allegations. The case is still under adjudication.
In May this year, Misra told the court that Parliamentary Standing Committee's report, which strongly censured the health ministry for being non-serious in dealing with an array of corruption cases at the institute, had no foundation or legal sanctity.
The claims by AIIMS director were made in a case the institute is fighting against the ex-CVO of the institute Sanjiv Chaturvedi.
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The AIIMS director had said, "It is submitted that the observation of the Parliamentary Committee as mentioned in paragraph 5 of the Writ Petition is based on no foundation. Moreover the said observation has no legal sanctity and is not binding. It is merely in the nature of recommendations."
Misra's comments came in response to Chaturvedi quoting in his petition from a report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on health and family welfare. The committee had concluded "Evidently, the (health) ministry appears to be non-serious in tackling corruption at AIIMS. The Committee, therefore, strongly deprecates the non-serious approach of the Ministry towards tackling such a large number of cases of corruption at AIIMS." It said that "myriad corruption cases are under investigation involving AIIMS officials and doctors," and listed out several of them in the report which was tabled in Parliament in August 2015.
The AIIMS' director's filings before the Delhi High Court, dismissing the findings of Parliament committee got picked up by media (Parliamentary Standing Committee report on corruption in the hospital has no foundation: AIIMS). Subsequently, two members of Parliament, Chaudhary Munvvar Saleem and Ali Anwar Ansari wrote to the chairman of Rajya Sabha alleging breach of privilege by AIIMS and demanding action against the institute's officials. On August 8, Rajya Sabha sent a notice to the health ministry, asking it to submit a report on the alleged 'derogatory remarks' by AIIMS director in the institute's affidavit along with a copy of the affidavit. Reacting to the notice from Rajya Sabha, the health ministry asked the institute to submit a report to it.
Business Standard emailed queries to both, the AIIMS director and the Union health ministry. But, neither responded despite repeated reminders.
On August 17 the AIIMS director submitted an amended affidavit before the Delhi High Court. The amended affidavit completely expunges the original references and comments Misra made about the Parliamentary Standing Committee report. Neither AIIMS nor the health ministry replied to specific query about their reply to Rajya Sabha against the latter's notice. Sources claimed the ministry had not submitted a formal report to the upper house's secretariat till the end of last week but this could not be independently confirmed. The AIIMS director has retained all other arguments in his new affidavit dismissing Chaturvedi's allegations. The case is still under adjudication.