 "A file photo of AIIMS")
Complaints of alleged corruption against AIIMS director went missing from the Central Vigilance Commissioner’s office, resurfaced later and was then forwarded to be supervised by one of the accused officers – the chief vigilance officer (CVO) of the health ministry.
Raj Narayan, head of Delhi-based Janhit Abhiyan, sent two sets of complaints to the Central Vigilance Commissioner, K V Chowdhary, in July 2015 alleging the director of AIIMS, M C Misra, and others had indulged in corruption in two departments — the trauma centre and the surgery department. Misra had headed both departments then. He also alleged that the CVO of the health ministry, who also officiates as the CVO of AIIMS, protected the AIIMS officials and the Central Bureau of Investigation did a shoddy investigation.
When he did not get any reply, Narayan in September 2015 used the Right to Information (RTI) route to seek the status of the complaints and the action taken. He wanted details of all complaints of corruption filed with the CVC against the director of AIIMS.
The commission replied the information was not readily available and would require too much manpower to be collated. It also said the information was exempt from disclosure as it pertained to a disciplinary case of a third person.
On two specific complaints Narayan had made, the CVC said, “As per our records, your complaint dated 06.07.2015 and 16.07.2015 has not (sic) received in the Commission. Hence, no information is available.” In his appeal, Narayan produced postal department records showing the complaints have been received by the central vigilance commission. The CVC then said it had received the complaints and these were being processed. The appellate authority ordered that the CVC provide answers to a specific query on the two complaints within 15 days.
Narayan later received a CVC response that pre-dated the appellate order. The December 12, 2015, letter said: “Your complaint has been duly examined by the Commission and … forwarded to the CVO AIIMS for necessary action. As such while no further report is required to be sent to the Commission the authorities concerned are required to look in to the matter and take action as deemed fit.”
The chief vigilance commission and the commissioner did not respond to queries sent by Business Standard. AIIMS has earlier said in the cases that it has followed all procedures of the CVC and no wrong had been committed.
The CVO AIIMS comes under the supervision of the director of AIIMS. At present the CVO health ministry, a joint secretary ranking officer, who the complainant had also accused of working with the director of AIIMS, also officiates as the CVO of AIIMS.
The CVC supervises the Central Bureau of Investigation in its anti-corruption investigations against government officers.
The two cases, in which the complainant alleged corruption involving the AIIMS director, were examined by the CBI. The central investigating agency prepared separate reports on the two cases acknowledging wrong-doing. In both it did not register cases of corruption but asked the CVO of health ministry to act which forwarded the cases to AIIMS CVO – being the same official.
In the case of alleged corruption in the Trauma Centre, the director of AIIMS, M C Misra in parallel had constituted a departmental inquiry by his subordinate specifically against the store manager in October 2014. The store manager was exonerated stating no wrongdoing had occurred.
In the surgery department case involving himself, reacting to the CBI report, the director of AIIMS constituted an internal committee of his subordinates to look at if illegal purchases had been made. The results of this committee have not been made public.
AIIMS, responding to the story on the CBI reports and the follow up action by the authorities had earlier said, “Statutory compliances of CVC guidelines are being ensured. A joint secretary in the (health) ministry holds charge of the post of CVO AIIMS. The CVO has not pointed out any procedural lapses in the handling of corruption cases in AIIMS.”
The parliamentary standing committee on health, speaking on the appointment of CVO health ministry (a supervisory position over the AIIMS operations) as CVO of AIIMS (a position subordinate to the AIIMS director) has said, The committee is perturbed to note that despite unravelling of corruption cases at AIIMS at regular intervals, the ministry has done away with the regular chief vigilance officer's post at AIIMS and the role of anti-graft officer of AIIMS has been assigned to a joint secretary and CVO in the ministry of health and family welfare. The committee, therefore, strongly deprecates the non-serious approach of the ministry towards tackling such a large number of cases of corruption at AIIMS and recommends that the ministry should quickly move towards appointing a regular chief vigilance officer of unblemished credentials at AIIMS."
