NEW DELHI : A court on Monday directed the Crime Branch of the Delhi police to submit all papers on investigations into the allegation of financial irregularities made against All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Director P. Venugopal and others.

Metropolitan magistrate Chandrashekhar also directed the police to explain on January 31why no first information report was registered after they prima facie found plausible the allegation raised in a complaint by a social activist.

Dr. Venugopal and others were alleged to have collected fees, from poor patients for providing consumables for surgeries, over and above the market price and misappropriated the extra amount.

Abdul Mabood alleged that the police abdicated their duty by referring his complaint to the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC)."It is settled law that when a cognisable offence is disclosed, the police are duty bound to register an FIR." It was also not made known to him under which provisions they sent the complaint to the CVC.

Health Ministry report

Before sending it to the CVC, the Crime Branch referred the complaint to the Union Health Ministry, which, in its report, said: "The complainant is correct in his statement that the amounts collected for surgeries are not controlled by the AIIMS. The amounts collected are controlled and operated by the heads of different departments concerned in an unauthorised manner."

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