Central Administrative Tribunal grants interim relief to healthcare worker of Safdarjung Hospital, puts outsourcing on hold

 Central Administrative Tribunal grants interim relief to healthcare worker of Safdarjung Hospital, puts outsourcing on hold

 

New Delhi, April 30

In a significant interim relief to a long-serving government healthcare worker, the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Principal Bench, has directed the Government of NCT of Delhi to maintain status quo regarding the services of Mr. Pradeep Kumar, who was serving on deputation as a Central Sterilization Room (CSR) Assistant at Safdarjung Hospital.

 

Mr. Kumar, initially appointed as a Nursing Attendant in 2008, was selected through an open process for deputation as a CSR Assistant in 2020. Despite an unblemished record and a tenure extension till April 30, 2025, the hospital administration had decided not to absorb him, opting instead to outsource such posts on a turnkey basis, following a 2023 directive from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

 

Challenging this decision, Mr. Kumar approached the Tribunal through his counsel, Advocate Anuj Aggarwal, asserting his entitlement to absorption under the applicable recruitment rules which prioritize “deputation or absorption, failing which by direct recruitment.” The applicant contended that his exclusion was arbitrary and contrary to the past precedent wherein similarly placed employees were absorbed into regular service.

 

The Tribunal, noting that the factual matrix was not disputed by the respondents, directed the authorities to maintain status quo with respect to Mr. Kumar’s deputation status until the next hearing scheduled for May 26, 2025. The Tribunal also granted the respondents two weeks to file a reply.

The case brings to the forefront the larger issue of job regularization in government hospitals and the increasing trend toward outsourcing core healthcare support functions. The final outcome of this case could have wide-ranging implications for similarly placed deputationists across central government institutions.

 

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Anuj Aggarwal

Advocate

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