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This story is from November 7, 2014

CVC seeks report on MCI vigilance officer’s harassment

The Central Vigilance Commission has sought a report from the health ministry on the harassment of the vigilance officer of the Medical Council of India for his “diligent and honest working” and also said the health ministry should ask the local police to give the CVO necessary protection.
CVC seeks report on MCI vigilance officer’s harassment
NEW DELHI: The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) has sought a report from the health ministry on the harassment of the vigilance officer of the Medical Council of India (MCI) for his “diligent and honest working” and also said the health ministry should ask the local police to give the CVO necessary protection. However, the health ministry has, instead of providing protection or looking into the complaint of the CVO regarding harassment by MCI president and members, already written to Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) seeking a panel of names to replace him.
CVO of MCI, HK Jethi, had written to the ministry and to the CVC at the beginning of the year complaining that he was a victim of “statutory and physical harassment” in retaliation for his drive against corruption in MCI. In his letter, Jethi said that MCI president Jayshree Mehta was “using all pressure tactics for destabilizing the functioning of the vigilance divison”. Jethi, who had come on deputation as CVO in October 2013 asked to be repatriated to his parent cadre as he felt scared “fighting alone against corruption in MCI against the wishes of a strong lobby” and since the atmosphere was “not congenial for me to perform without fear which I feel is the foundation for effective vigilance administration”.
On May 26, the CVC had sent a memo to the health ministry regarding the alleged victimisation of Jethi and asked the health secretary to initiate an enquiry by the CVO of the ministry and to submit a report to the CVC. In the same letter, the CVC also asked the ministry to provide protection to Jethi, give “suitable advice/directions to the MCI” and “if the need arises, to approach authorities of the Delhi Police”.
The ministry’s CVO, Dr Vishwas Mehta, had sent a detailed letter to the CBI on July 9 stating that all the complaints against MCI office bearers received by the ministry from various quarters “show that MCI as well as its president is functioning in an autocratic manner and have created an atmosphere which is not conducive for working of CVO, MCI”. “The action on the part of the MCI administration in not bothering to furnish information or action taken reports either to the CVO, MCI or joint secretary (medical education) of the department gives an impression that it might be doing so for protecting some vested interests,” stated the letter. Dr Mehta sought a CBI enquiry into the matters he had raised in his letter.
However, as soon as Dr Mehta finished his tenure as the ministry’s CVO and returned to his parent cadre on October 8, the health ministry, instead of pursuing the CBI enquiry or taking steps to protect Jethi to allow him to work without fear, sent a memo to DoPT on October 10 saying that Jethi had requested for repatriation to his parent cadre and sought suitable candidates to replace him.
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