In the aftermath of the high-profile escape of drug kingpin Lalit Patil from the prisoner’s ward at Sassoon General Hospital in Pune on October 2, the Maharashtra government has taken swift and decisive action. On Friday, Dr. Sanjiv Thakur, the dean of Sassoon General Hospital, was removed from his position pending a departmental inquiry. Simultaneously, Dr. Pravin Deokate, the head of the orthopedic department, was suspended over allegations of negligence related to the escape.
The Department of Medical Education and Research (DMER) initiated these actions following the Bombay High Court’s decision to vacate an interim stay, allowing the state to proceed against Dr. Thakur. The High Court ruled that the state was free to make a new appointment in his place. Dr. Thakur’s predecessor, Dr. Vinayak Kale, had challenged two orders issued by the Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal (MAT) on February 13.
One order transferred Dr. Kale from the post of Sassoon Hospital dean to the director of Maharashtra Institute of Mental Health in Pune, while the second transferred Dr. Thakur from Solapur to the position previously held by Dr. Kale. Despite the matter being pending, the removal of the interim stay in favor of Dr. Thakur enabled the state to take immediate action.
DMER Secretary Dinesh Waghmare stated, “Our inquiry found that Lalit Patil was in the orthopedics unit for three months under the orthopedic HoD Dr. Deokate. A different committee will now conduct the departmental inquiry, and based on the inspection report, the DMER commissioner will frame charges.”
A release from DMER’s divisional liaisoning officer mentioned, “Dr. Thakur, Dr. Deokate, and other officers from concerned departments have been prima facie found guilty of negligence. Considering the DMER commissioner’s recommendations, the government has decided to remove Dr. Thakur from his post of dean, pending inquiry, and suspend Dr. Deokate with immediate effect.”
The incident dates back to October 1 when Pune police seized a Rs2.14 crore worth mephedrone (MD) drug parcel from Patil’s aide, Subhash Mandal. Patil escaped on October 2 from the state-run hospital, prompting the government to form a four-member committee to investigate the alleged laxity of hospital authorities. The committee’s report, submitted on October 27, led to the DMER commissioner’s recommendations and subsequent government action against those found negligent.
