Trehan moves court to be allowed to challenge Escorts takeover

By IANS

New Delhi : Noted cardiologist Naresh Trehan Wednesday moved the Delhi High Court, seeking to be made a party to an earlier petition that challenges the transfer of the majority shares of the Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre (EHIRC) to the Fortis Group.


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Trehan was ousted last Friday as Executive Director of EHIRC – a leading Delhi hospital – by the Ranbaxy-owned Fortis Healthcare group, which had bought majority shares in the hospital. However, the Delhi High Court had stayed the ouster.

Trehan Wednesday sought to be included as one of the parties to a petition filed last week by Anil Nanda, estranged brother of Escorts chief Rajan Nanda.

Trehan told the court that he too had a stake in the matter, and Justice Geeta Mittal posted Trehan's application for hearing Thursday.

Along with Trehan, some Escorts hospital doctors owing allegiance to him, asked the court to set up a committee to take over the hospital's management, saying patients were suffering due to the present crisis at the hospital.

In his application, Trehan, who owns 10 percent shares at the hospital, also wanted the court to direct the hospital's management to allow him to treat patients with his team of doctors and subordinate staff.

Trehan approached the court Wednesday as some of the doctors and paramedical staff in his team had either been dismissed or transferred to other hospitals of the group, affecting his smooth functioning of the hospital.

In a petition filed May 19, Anil Nanda had urged the court not to allow the hospital management to remove Trehan from his post, arguing that it was against a Sept 2005 order of the high court.

On Nanda's petition, the court had restrained Escorts hospital from removing Trehan from the hospital and fixed Aug 6 for the next hearing.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohtagi, appearing for Nanda, had submitted that the transfer of the hospital management from the Escorts group to the Fortis Healthcare group was still pending in the court.

"The decision of the Fortis management to oust Dr Trehan violated the court's September 2005 order," Rohtagi had told the court.

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