Patiala Medical College transfers Head Anatomy, HC stays order

Patiala: The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday stayed the transfer of the head of the anatomy department at the Government Medical College, Patiala till a further hearing, who was accused of beating up a first-year MBBS student. 

As per a media report in the Times of India, the doctor was transferred to the Medical College, Amritsar after the parent of a first-year MBBS student alleged that the doctor beat up his son. The doctor had earlier also served as a joint DRME and twice as DRME in the past.

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The doctor, in turn, had filed a petition four days ago against his transfer order claiming that his transfer was part of a revenge process. He alleged that it was because he had been filing petitions in the court for the last two years against alleged illegal appointments at senior posts, including director and joint director of the department of medical education and research, Punjab. 

He further stated that he was transferred even before a preliminary fact-finding enquiry took place into the incident. He alleged that a three member committee which was formed to investigate the beating allegations was taken down without any reason on the exact day when he appeared before the team, asking for a copy of the complaint before the team. 

The doctor reasoned that he, therefore, was being harassed. He added that the investigation was handed over to the additional secretary, DMER hours after the fact finding three member committee was cancelled, reports the TOI. The doctor was also transferred the same day. 

The Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported a similar incident where the Madurai bench of Madras High Court recently dismissed a plea by a doctor who had challenged her transfer order from Nagercoil to Paramakudi. The decision was taken by the HC division bench comprising of Justices Paresh Upadhyay and R. Vijayakumar after it took note of the fact that the transfer order was issued by the government on administrative grounds. 

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