The Mamata Banerjee government on Wednesday cancelled the appointment of Manas Chakraborty, the registrar of the West Bengal Medical Council, more than five years after he was re-appointed.

“It has been brought to the notice of the state government that Manas Chakraborty has been appointed as Registrar to West Bengal Medical Council on re-employment since 1.11.2019 without previous sanction of the government following statutory provisions laid down in section 14 of the (1) Bengal Medical Act, 1914,” reads the letter sent to the president of the West Bengal Medical Council signed by a special secretary to the state government.

The section 14 (1) of the Bengal Medical Act, 1914 states that the council must appoint a registrar with the previous sanction of the local government.

“If the registrar’s appointment is invalid, does it mean all the doctors whose registrations were updated during his tenure and carry his signatures are invalid too?” asked Sanjoy Banerjee, editor of the Journal of Indian Medical Association and secretary IMA.

The registration of doctors in Bengal was last updated on January 31, 2022 and is valid till December 31, 2026 (according to a certificate bearing the signature of Chakraborty, which is available with The Telegraph Online.)

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“I had sent applications from 400 doctors in Behala during that time,” said Banerjee.

Trinaml MLA and a government nominee to the WBMC, Nirmal Maji said to The Telegraph Online, “Health secretary or the WBMC head can reply to this.”

State health secretary Narayan Swarup Nigam did not take calls or respond to messages sent to him.

The West Bengal Medical Council president Sudipto Roy, also a Trinamul MLA, has been investigated by the central agencies following the August 9 rape and murder incident, did not respond to calls.

During the movement by junior doctors following the rape and murder of the postgraduate trainee doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, the chief minister during her meeting with representatives of the protesting junior doctors had said that she is ignorant on a number of issues related to the functioning of the health department, though she holds the portfolio of both the health and home (police) department.

The government’s action against Chakraborty appears to be another link in the same chain, while the state health department has been drawing fire from the Supreme Court which is hearing the case.

“We will have to seek legal opinion to know if the updated registrations are valid or not,” said Punyabrata Gun, convenor of the Joint Platform of Doctors. “We have been saying for a long time that Chakraborty’s appointment is illegal. He was discharging his duties without the government’s approval.”

According to Gun, as registrar Chakraborty was also the returning officer during the elections held to the West Bengal Medical Council.

“Since the August 9 incident the West Bengal Medical Council has not met once. What is the use of having such a council? In January 2024 Dr Dilip Pal, a member of the WBMC, died. According to the rules, the election to fill up the vacancy should have been held within two months. Till date the seat is lying vacant. Five of the 14 members in the council had offered to resign after the August 9 incident. Their resignation letters were not accepted. The ruling party kept him in the seat to allow misdeeds.” Gun said.

One such example cited by Gun was the cancellation of the registration of Sandip Ghosh, the former principal of the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, who is now in CBI custody in connection with alleged graft case and also his alleged role in the “larger conspiracy” behind the rape and murder.

“Ghosh’s registration was cancelled by disregarding the procedure. He was not served with a show-cause notice and given a chance to defend himself. Because of which he went to the court and had his registration restored.”

Former Trinamul Rajya Sabha MP and member of the WBMC Shantanu Sen in a letter to state health secretary Nigam alleged several irregularities had taken place under the present leadership of the West Bengal Medical Council which need to be probed.