New Delhi: The chief vigilance officer (CVO) of AIIMS, Sanjiv Chaturvedi, who unearthed several corruption cases at the premier medical institute, has been removed from the post. No reasons have been cited by the health ministry for the sudden ouster of the officer who is handling several corruption cases against senior AIIMS officials and some faculty members.
Vishwas Mehta, joint secretary and CVO, ministry of health and family welfare has been assigned the portfolio for three months “with immediate effect”. The order, a copy of which is with TOI, states the decision has the approval of health minister Harsh Vardhan.
Sources said J P Nadda, BJP general secretary, had written to the Department of Personnel and Training last year objecting to Chaturvedi’s appointment as both deputy secretary and CVO. The contention was struck down then.
“This is a witch-hunt against an honest officer. Influential persons, including some top doctors at the institute and other vested interests, are using political clout to shunt him out of vigilance work,” said an AIIMS source. He said Chaturvedi, a 2002-batch IFS officer of the Haryana cadre, was given “outstanding” remarks in his annual confidential report for 2012-13 and 2013-14. He unearthed several scams in engineering works, security arrangements and the AIIMS pharmacy.
“The Prime Minister’s Office had given written orders on November 23, 2012 to the cabinet secretary to examine any proposal to shift Chaturvedi from the CVO’s post and keep the PMO informed. The health ministry has not done this,” he added. Chaturvedi refused to comment on the matter.
Corruption cases exposed by Chaturvedi at AIIMS led to the registration of a CBI case and initiation of major penalty proceedings against two senior AIIMS officials for financial irregularities. The vigilance department of AIIMS also unearthed a multi-crore racket involving its own staff at the Trauma Center recently. T R Mahajan, a stores officer who has now been suspended, was found to have circumvented rules to buy products like disinfectants and fogging solutions from a company owned by his son and daughter-in-law at higher rates.
