In a significant ruling, the Odisha High Court on Thursday quashed a State Government notification in which an IAS officer was appointed as the Director-in-Charge of the Regional Cancer Research Centre here. A Division Bench of Justices Indrajit Mahanti and Biswanath Rath disposing of a writ petition filed by social worker Sib Charan Bose directed the Government to appoint the senior-most professor of the centre as its Director-in-Charge till a regular Director is appointed.
The Government on February 12 this year had appointed Saroj Kumar Samal as the in-charge director of the Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre in addition to his duties as the AMD of the National Health Mission. Challenging the notification, Bose in his petition had stated that the appointment of Samal was made in complete violation of the MCI guideline since the post merits appointment of an expert to develop the centre into an integrated complex providing research, investigation, early detection and treatment of cancer.