In yet another move in his battle with the health minister, AIIMS Director P Venugopal on Saturday shot off a letter to Registrar V P Gupta asking him to "report to a rural health centre" and ignore Anbumani Ramadoss's stay of the transfer.
The five-page letter was issued on Saturday despite Ramadoss's December 10 order in which he had said, "Director is not competent to take any decision regarding V P Gupta's service and job responsiblity" and had said that the matter would be raised in the governing body meeting, to be held on January 22.
Gupta was transferred to a remote rural centre in Ballabhgarh in Haryana after an AIIMS vigilance committee found him to be allegedly "under-qualified and misusing his post" last month. But his transfer order was rescinded within 24 hours by Ramadoss.
Following the order, Gupta's room was locked and his personal belongings sealed. Gupta had then called the police.
In the letter, Venugopal had said, "(V P) Gupta is no more a part of the academic section of AIIMS. For removal of any doubt in the minds of any officer or faculty member of AIIMS, it is made clear that V P Gupta is not authorised to issue any memorandum or circular in the name of academic section of AIIMS without the approval of the director, and no other officer or faculty memeber shall permit him to do so," the letter said.
"Gupta is to report to Dr C S Pandav at Rural Health Centre, Ballabhgarh (Haryana), in accordance with the terms and conditions of his temporary appointment," the letter said.
Venugopal said that "the authenticity of any memorandum or circular issued by him in the name of academic section of AIIMS" after his transfer "needs to be verified from the administration."