Prof R K Ratho appointed as PGI Dean Academics ahead of CAT hearing

This position had been temporarily filled by various acting officials since April 2023, when Dr Rakesh Sehgal retired. Dr Ratho had already been serving as the interim dean following a CAT order issued on July 3, which stipulated her role until the upcoming hearing. However, the Ministry's recent announcement solidifies her position, bypassing the anticipated tribunal proceedings, reports Hindustan Times. 

Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in its letter, stated, “The Union Minister of Health, who is also president of the institute, hereby appoints Dr RK Ratho, as dean academics, PGIMER, Chandigarh, with immediate effect.” The Dean of Academics role became contentious after the retirement of Professor Naresh K Panda, head of the ENT department, on June 29, 2024. Prof Panda has held the position since April 24, 2023, despite claims of seniority by Dr Surjit Singh.

A high-powered committee led by retired PGIMER faculty member Prof D Behera released an updated provisional seniority list on July 27, 2023, positioning Dr Panda at the top and ranking Dr Surjit Singh fourth. This differed from the 2022 list, which had Dr Surjit as the most senior. The ongoing seniority dispute is currently under review by the Chandigarh bench of CAT. 

Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported that the argument surrounding the appointment of the dean (academics) dates back to March 8, when the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced the appointment of Dr Surjit Singh to the position, replacing Dr Panda from his officiating charge. Dr Panda promptly contested this decision before the CAT, citing his seniority over Dr Singh in the professorial hierarchy. This situation ignited a debate over the seniority protocol typically governing the appointment of the academic dean.

The Ministry justified Dr Surjit Singh’s initial appointment by declaring Dr Panda’s appointment as irregular. They also noted that Dr. Panda had bypassed proper grievance channels by directly approaching CAT. Further complicating matters, in May 2023, Dr Surjit Singh accused PGIMER Director Dr Vivek Lal of intentionally obstructing his appointment to the dean (academics) post, a claim that Dr Lal has denied, reports the Daily.

As the situation continues to unfold, the Ministry's decisive move to appoint Dr Ratho aims to bring stability to the academic leadership at PGIMER, though the seniority dispute remains unresolved.