The Supreme Court today struck down as illegal the law that was passed in Parliament to prematurely retire him as Director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, consequent to his difference of opinion with the Union Health Minister, Dr.Anbumani Ramadoss.
Dr. P. Venugopal had preferred this appeal before the Supreme Court on the ground that the Law has been brought in the form of an Amendment to ease him out of the Post because of his difference of opinion which is discriminatory in nature and malafide in intention. The amendment to the AIIMS Act fixed the retirement age of the Director to 65 and by virtue of this, he was eased out of the post.
Mr.Arun Jaitley, a former Union Law Minister and senior consul appeared on behalf of the petitioner and put forward the arguments that his continuance as Director was earlier upheld by the Delhi High Court before which the matter was still pending and the Central Government has acted in haste and discriminative manner with a view to solely deprive him of his post.
A Division Bench consisting of Justices Tarun Chatterjee and H.S. Bedi which heard the appeal upheld the same.
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