Gujarat terminates services of Ketan Desai

by Manas Dasgupta

The Gujarat government has terminated the services of Ketan Desai, chairman of the Medical Council of India (MCI), who was arrested by the CBI on corruption charges.

Health Minister Jaynarayan Vyas said there was no question of Dr. Desai resigning from the State government services. “The government has terminated his services,” he said.

Dr. Desai was a professor in the urology department in the State government-run B.J. Medical College, and became its head in 2005. He is said to have sent his resignation letter to the Dean of the college by registered post. The letter was dated April 28, but the college received it on May 6 and the institution, without any verification, forwarded the letter to the State Health Department. Incidentally, Dr. Desai was arrested on April 23, five days before he is said to have sent the resignation letter.

The State health department earlier claimed that it was only “following procedural methods” before accepting Dr. Desai's resignation. “The resignation itself should be authenticated besides looking into other related issues like his pending dues with the government, if any,” a department official said. Besides, a committee appointed earlier was also claimed to be looking into certain other “enquiries raised against Dr. Desai during his tenure as professor of the college,” the official stated.

The Minister claimed that the decision to terminate Dr. Desai's services was taken even before the government received his resignation letter. “The delay in announcing his termination was only because of the administrative procedures required to be followed by the government.” He hinted that Dr. Desai would have to forfeit the government pension because of the termination.

Dr. Desai was also a member of the senate and executive council of the Gujarat University. It was not immediately clear whether Dr. Desai would automatically be barred from the university posts because of his termination from the medical college.