Even as the stalemate over the appointment of the all important post of the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) continues due to the intervention of the Supreme Court, the Union health ministry is learnt to be preparing to file a counter-affidavit in the Supreme Court to vacate its stay on the appointment of DCGI as per the new Recruitment Rule (RR) framed by the ministry in June last year.

According to sources, the ministry is in a post-haste hurry to fill the post of DCGI as there are alround criticism from different quarters over the ministry's indifferent attitude on the issue. There are murmours among the stakeholders that the ministry should have given some extension to former DCGI Dr V G Somani before the controversial issue of the appointment of DCGI is settled in court. They feel that instead of leaving an important office of the DCGI headless for about three weeks, the government should have made some stop-gap arrangement to avoid the administrative vacuum in the DCGI office.

Sources said that the ministry may file a counter-affidavit in the Supreme Court soon to vacate the stay and will appoint Indian Pharmacopeia Commission's secretary-cum-scientific director Dr GN Singh as the the next DCGI, who has been selected by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for which it had conducted interviews last week. Others who were interviewed by the UPSC for the DCGI's post included Anil Kumar Saxena from Narcotics Control Bureau, Tehlan from CRI Kasauli and GS Bedi from IDPL.

Earlier on February 14, the Supreme Court had ordered that Madras High Court's earlier stay on the Recruitment Rule (RR) framed by the ministry in June last year for the appointment of DCGI should be continued. Hearing a petition filed by Dilip Kumar, secretary, Tamil Nadu branch, Indian Pharmacy Graduates Association (IPGA), the Supreme Court barred the government from appointing anybody as DCGI as per the new RR till the  pendency of the case in Madras High Court.