Chandigarh, March 20
Even as the PGI Director awaits written orders from the Centre to start the process of appointing a new dean, in accordance with the existing rules and regulations, as ordered by the Supreme Court, the PGI atmosphere is rife with discussions and projections as to who is likely to be chosen to the post.
While the PGI Act does not state anything about the appointment of the Dean or his powers and duties, a separate rule says that the Dean will be appointed by the Institute Body at the recommendation of the Director taking into consideration seniority, suitability and other factors. The post is to be filled by rotation for a period of three years from amongst the senior professors and head of departments.
However, according to the process which is followed, the PGI Director gives the names of some seniormost faculty members, the number can be as low as three and as high as 10, and the final decision is taken during the governing body meeting, which is then ratified by the Institute body. Although the PGI Director also makes his one personal recommendation to the governing body, there is nothing in the rules that make the director’s recommendations binding on the decision-making body nor that the person chosen as the dean has to be a head of the department.
If this process is followed, those in the reckoning will be Dr R.J. Dash, Head Department of Endocrinology, Dr Subash Kumari Gupta, Head, Department of Cytology and Gynaecological Pathology, Prof Sudha Suri, Head, Department of Radio Diagnosis and Imaging and Dr Sarla Gopalan, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
Dr O.N. Nagi was appointed as the Dean PGI last year. He had to give up his deanship following the decision of the Supreme Court. “Whether Dr Nagi will form a part of the panel of contenders, is undecided since one will have to go into the details of the Supreme Court judgement against him which I haven’t received as a written order as yet,” says the PGI Director, Prof S.K. Sharma. When asked whether he will be contending for the post, Dr Nagi on the other hand said, “it is not for me to decide, it is the Director’s discretion.”
Prof R.J. Dash the seniormost faculty member in the PGI, is facing a departmental inquiry on charges of alleged sexual harassment by a female patient. Dr Dash was exonerated with just a warning, but disallowed to see any female patients in the absence of a female attendant. Sources state that Dr Dash who continues to be the head of department lost the race for PGI’s directorship due to this inquiry and then the post of the dean when the last selections were made. “I had started with the name of Dr Dash as per the seniority list for deanship but the governing body had to be informed about the inquiry after which Dr Subash Kumari Gupta’s name was recommended by me the last time,” says Prof S.K. Sharma.
Dr Sudha Suri is obviously looking forward to the post as she has won the Supreme Court case against Dr Nagi’s selection as Dean. Dr Sarla Gopalan refused to talk on the issue.
