Chaturvedi writes to Vigilance Commission

AIIMS Deputy Director Sanjiv Chaturvedi, who was removed as the Chief Vigilance Officer of the institute in August, has written to the Chief Vigilance Commission on the activities during his 25-month-long tenure.

In his letter, Chaturvedi has highlighted that the “system was a total failure” under his two predecessors – Vineet Chaudhary and Sailesh Yadav. The Indian Forest Officer has mentioned the number of probes ordered into irregularities while he served as the Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) at AIIMS.

Action was taken on 165 cases from July 2012 to August 2014 during Chaturvedi’s tenure.

Out of this, penalties were imposed in 78 cases and chargesheets issued in 87 cases. This also includes 21 cases in which penalties for compulsory retirement and removal from service was imposed. 

The corresponding figures are 23 and 21 cases for the financial year 2010-11 and 2011-12 respectively.

Besides corruption cases, the whistleblower had also taken action on “unauthorised absence, sexual harassment and fake cost certificate”, among others.

The letter mentions that apart from the jump in figures in investigation, action was taken against “high-profile officers” under Chaturvedi’s tenure. 

The list featuring 12 such cases includes Vineet Chaudhary, IAS, Sailesh Yadav, IPS, R C Anand – ex-medical superintendent and SP Vashisht, sanitation officer. In August, a controversy erupted after Chaturvedi was removed as the CVO.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had said in an official statement Chaturvedi was removed from the post as he did not fulfil the criteria required for appointment.

However, it was around Chaturvedi’s tenure at AIIMS that in around 15 cases, investigation reports were sent to the CBI and CVC for irregularities in the system.

On the basis of the reports sent, the CBI has registered three cases which are under investigation. There were no cases referred to the CBI in the last two years before Chaturvedi took over, the letter mentions.

Also, around Rs 28.5 lakh was recovered for delay in installing critical equipment last year, Chaturvedi has written in his letter to the Commission.