Centre in HC: Venugopal no genius as administrator

The Centre on Monday submitted before the Delhi High Court that AIIMS Director P Venugopal, “the good professor”, was holding an official post open to review by the government and that though “he may be an expert in medicine…his actions show that he was not a genius in methods of administration.”

The Centre, represented by Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium, argued before a Division Bench led by Justice Swatanter Kumar, that if Venugopal had committed an error in his official duties, the matter would be open for discussion before the AIIMS governing body.

The Centre had filed an appeal against an earlier order by the same court restraining the 17-member governing body of AIIMS from reviewing the appointment of Venugopal as director of the institute. Referring to the court’s order as premature, the Centre said that a court cannot be expected to pass order in anticipation of a decision yet to be made by the body.