Irfan Tramboo
SRINAGAR, Feb 28: Months have passed, but the selection process for the Principal of SKIMS Medical College and Hospital (MCH), Bemina, remains ‘ongoing.’
The Health & Medical Education (H&ME) Department invited applications for the two-year tenure-based position in August last year, ahead of the then Principal’s term ending in September.
While the process does not seem to have progressed, officials provided no additional details about the status of the selection process, stating only that it is still ongoing.
In response to a Right to Information application that sought status of the process, SKIMS Public Information Officer (PIO) also stated that it was in progress.
The application also requested the total number of applications received for the position, along with the names, educational qualifications, and details of the shortlisted candidates. However, the information was denied.
“The undersigned has been advised to intimate that the selection process for the post of Principal SKIMS Medical College, Bemina is still going on, revealing certain details could potentially influence the fairness or competitive nature of the process,” read a reply from the PIO, SKIMS, Soura.
It added that the information sought by the applicant is “denied” in view of the instructions contained in the rule 8 (1) (d) of RTI Act 2005 for “exemption from disclosure of information.”
The applicant, however, argued that the information sought was in no way “personal” and could have been disclosed, emphasizing that the rule invoked pertains to trade secrets, commercial confidence, or intellectual property and does not apply to the public authority domain.
It is to be noted that after applications for the post were invited for the position on August 13 last year.
Following the end of the term of the then Principal, the H&ME Department assigned the additional charge of Principal SKIMS, MC&H, Bemina to the Director of SKIMS on September 3, 2024, which continues so far.
The additional charge was given when the Model Code of Conduct was in effect ahead of the Assembly elections in J&K, and Excelsior had reported that the selection process for the Principal was likely to be delayed.
Applications, with the deadline set as September 2, 2024, were invited from faculty members of SKIMS, Soura, and SKIMS MCH, Bemina for the two-year tenure post.
The position was then held by Dr Irfan Robbani, who, at the time of his appointment, was a Professor in the Department of Radio-diagnosis and Imaging at SKIMS Soura.
He was appointed in September 2021 on a two-year tenure basis, following approval from the competent authority.
As his term was nearing its end in September 2023, the H&ME Department granted him a one-year extension in late August, allowing him to continue on a full-time basis beyond September 2023.
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