Team Herald
PANJIM: The Bombay High Court at Goa on Monday made the Goa Public Service Commission (GPSC) as one of the respondents in the writ petition filed by Dr Ashutosh Prabhudesai, Associate professor of Institute of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour (PHB), Bambolim, challenging the appointment of associate professor (psychiatry) Dr Shilpa Waikar as the professor and Head of Department at IPHB.
Dr Prabhudesai is seeking that he be given the charge as professor, psychiatry and HoD at IPHB till such time the post is filled on regular basis.
The Under Secretary (Health-I) in her affidavit has said the charge of post of Professor of HoD of IPHB is a temporary arrangement until the said post is filled after following the prescribed procedure under the law, states the affidavit filed by the Under Secretary (Health-I), Government of Goa before the Bombay High Court at Goa.
Dr Prabhudesai was earlier asked to hold the charge of professor (psychiatry) and HoD after Dr Yvonne Da Silva Pereira, who was holding the post superannuated from services on April 30, 2021. But by an order dated July 5, 2021, Dr Prabhudesai was relieved of the post and Dr Waikar, who is junior to the petitioner in seniority, was appointed.
The Under Secretary (Health-I) in her affidavit has stated that there are no legal basis as to why in supersession of the earlier orders directing the petitioner to take charge as the Head of the Department, Dr Waikar, who is junior to the petitioner in the list of seniority was given the said charge.
The Under Secretary has also denied that the impugned orders dated April 30, 2021 and July 5, 2021 had been orchestrated as a counterblast to the petitioner opposing the extension in service to Dr Yvonne Pereira and raising various issues of importance to the institute.
In the affidavit the Under Secretary (Health-I) has further denied that the impugned order were attempts to deny Dr Prabhudesai being appointed as internal examiner for MD Psychiatry examination in July 2021 and unduly a favour doled out to Dr Waikar to ultimately promote her to the said post on regular basis thereby bypassing the settled seniority.
It is learnt that Dr Yvonne Da Silva Pereira had requested the government to grant her six-month extension in service stating that there may be deficiency of professor in psychiatry at the time of Medical Council of India (MCI) inspection in June and that the six permitted seats of MD psychiatry may not be approved.
The High Court has now posted the matter for further hearing on September 20.
