From expensive Diwali gifts and foreign trips to irregular extension of service and enhancement of retirement age of its registrar, a special audit conducted by the Delhi Health department has flagged financial and administrative irregularities in the functioning of the Delhi Medical Council (DMC), estimating losses worth over Rs 10 crore to the government exchequer.
The audit report observed that the then Registrar Dr Girish Tyagi, in his official capacity, was responsible for the government losing more than Rs 5.57 crore between 2019 and 2025 due to a reduction in renewal fees that doctors had to pay while they renewed their registration with the DMC. In addition, the report recommended that the government should recover monetary benefits exceeding Rs 3.23 crore from Tyagi that he had received in the form of salary, allowances and related expenditures.
Responding to the allegations, Tyagi termed the audit findings “misleading” and maintained that they appeared aimed at “deliberately creating a false public perception of corruption where none has been established”.
Alleging that the issue regarding extension of service was being selectively projected, Tyagi said that as the registrar, he was merely an employee of DMC. “An employee cannot grant an extension to himself. The extension of service was approved by a duly constituted 25-member Delhi Medical Council through its competent decision-making process. Significantly, many of the very persons now attempting to raise false allegations were themselves signatories to or participants in those decisions,” he added.
He maintained that the matter is sub judice and any attempt to publicly pronounce guilt or create a media narrative was “premature, improper, and contrary to principles of natural justice”.
According to the report, the DMC extended Tyagi’s tenure, enhanced his retirement age and granted extension of service to him without obtaining mandatory approval of the competent authority.
Tyagi had joined the DMC as deputy registrar in June 2007 and became registrar in July 2008. While he was originally due to retire at 60 in November 2019, a DMC amendment in February that year enhanced the retirement age to 65. After he turned 65 on November 3, 2024, the DMC on November 11 approved an additional one-year extension from December 1, 2024. Last July, the Delhi government constituted a committee to investigate the alleged lapses.
The report noted that no records were produced by the DMC to indicate that Tyagi fulfilled the eligibility conditions prescribed under guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for continuation in service up to the age of 65 years. “The mandatory prior approval of the competent authority for such enhancement was neither sought nor obtained,” it added.
“These irregular actions resulted in avoidable financial liability to the government exchequer on account of payment of salary and other related allowances made to Dr Girish Tyagi… for the period from 01.12.2019 to 10.02.2025 (beyond the age of 60 year to till his resignation),” the report said. The total loss amounted to Rs 3,23,57,768, it added.
The audit further held Tyagi liable for financial irregularities worth over Rs 1.24 crore on account of regularisation of multi-tasking staff to lower division clerk posts, irregular payment towards medical insurance of council members and purchase of costly gift items in violation of prescribed financial rules and procedures. Further, it recommended to the government to recover around Rs 13 lakh spent in lieu of the mandatory three-month notice period required for tendering resignation as per DMC Act and Rules.
The report flagged non-maintenance of stock records and purchase of costly gifts worth Rs 64.47 lakh between 2019-20 and 2024-25. It also pointed to discrepancies in maintenance of service books, which contain an employee’s service history, including promotions, pay, leave and transfers.
The audit, conducted by the accounts wing of the Health department, scrutinised all payments made to Tyagi pertaining to salary and allowances, pay fixation, leave encashment, bonus, medical expenses, court fees, foreign visits, hiring of vehicle and telephone expenses.
The DMC is a statutory body constituted under the Delhi Medical Council Act, 1997, responsible for regulating the practice of modern medicine in the Capital.
According to the report, the DMC extended Tyagi’s tenure, enhanced his retirement age and granted extension of service to him without obtaining mandatory approval of the competent authority.
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