Porsche case: Pune dean claims neta link to crash-case doc, sent on leave

PUNE: Revelations about Sassoon General Hospital’s arrested forensic sciences head Dr Ajay Taware being reinstated as medical superintendent in April based on a recommendation by medical education minister Hasan Mushrif and NCP MLA Sunil Tingre led to dean Dr Vinayak Kale being sent on compulsory leave Wednesday evening, hours after he went public with information that steered the Porsche Taycan accident case into new territory.
Taware, who is in custody along with casualty medical officer Dr Shrihari Halnor and mortuary staffer Atul Ghatkamble for allegedly manipulating an alcohol test in the accident case involving a Pune builder’s 17-year-old son, had been stripped of the post of medical superintendent over his suspected involvement in a kidney racket at the state-run hospital.
The action against Kale came after the state govt issued an order to the Directorate of Medical Education and Research to set up a committee to probe malpractice linked to the Porsche case. “It has also come to notice that Dr Kale did not understand the seriousness of the incident and could not handle the situation well. In view of this, the committee recommends that Dr Kale be sent on forced leave,” states the order.
In a separate order, the state govt suspended Taware and Halnor under the Maharashtra Civil Services (Conduct) Rules 1979. Till their suspension is in force, they are barred from medical practice and investing in any business. Ghatkamble, a Class IV employee, was also suspended on grounds of violating service rules.
Mushrif told reporters in Mumbai that he recommended Taware’s reinstatement as medical superintendent based on a letter from MLA Tingre. He said the dean should have informed him that the doctor hadn’t been absolved of previous allegations against him.
“A minister is not God to know everything. I was out of the country between May 11 and 24, and I got to know about the accident (and swapping of the underage driver’s blood sample with someone else’s) on my return,” he said. Tingre could not be contacted for comment despite repeated attempts by TOI.
At a presser earlier in the day, the hospital dean had been asked about Taware’s reinstatement as medical superintendent last month despite a pending probe against him in the 2022 kidney racket case. Kale immediately pointed to minister Mushrif’s remarks on the MLA’s letter.
“Dr Ajay Taware be reinstated as the medical superintendent because he is a professor, and the superintendent at the time was not a professor. As per NMC norms, he (Dr Taware) should be made the superintendent,” Kale said, quoting Mushrif’s remarks. The dean said he signed an executive order reinstating Taware as medical superintendent based solely on the minister’s recommendation in writing.
On whether he informed Mushrif about Taware being investigated in the kidney racket, Kale said the govt already knew about the allegations against him.
“I got to know about the arrests only after my superintendent called me on May 27 morning and through the media. As the dean, I instructed the superintendent to pass all necessary information to the govt. It is important to note that such incidents damage the reputation of such a prestigious institute,” the dean said.