RANCHI: The Jharkhand High Court on Monday stayed the government order to sack Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) Director, Dr Rajkumar, who was removed from the post of RIMS director with immediate effect on April 17.
According to a press communique issued by the health department announcing his removal, his tenure was not satisfactory and marked by failure to comply with the directives.
After being sacked by the state government, Dr Rajkumar challenged the order in the High Court, pleading that it is not appropriate to remove someone by making such allegations and not following the prescribed procedure for removal is a violation of natural justice.
The court of Chief Justice Deepak Roshan, while hearing the petition of Dr. Rajkumar on Monday, stayed the order of his removal dated April 17, citing non-compliance with the rules.
The case will be taken up next on May 6.
Meanwhile, the court has issued notices to the state government and other concerned bodies asking them to file affidavits in this regard.
Dr Rajkumar, who previously served as a professor in the department of neurosurgery at Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, was appointed for a three-year term on January 31, 2024.
Dr. Raj Kumar was appointed as the Director of RIMS for a three-year term, but was removed just 14 months into his tenure. Challenging his dismissal, Dr. Rajkumar moved the High Court against the Governing Council’s decision.
Sources revealed that an altercation between Dr. Rajkumar and Health Minister Dr. Irfan Ansari during a RIMS Governing Body meeting might have been the primary reason for his removal.
A member present during the meeting revealed that Dr. Rajkumar had even offered to resign if the health minister was dissatisfied with his style of functioning. The Health Minister of Jharkhand also holds the position of Chairman of the RIMS Governing Council.
Many in Jharkhand’s medical fraternity believe that the High Court’s stay could serve as a check against arbitrary decisions by the state’s health Minister.