Delhi Medical Council in state of paralysis with ₹2.5 crore payments stuck

The registrar, who also functions as the authorised signatory for all official transactions, has not been replaced since February 2025

The Delhi Medical Council (DMC) is in a state of administrative and financial paralysis, with critical payments worth nearly ₹2.5 crore – for critical functions such as payment of rent, salaries, tax dues, among others – stuck due to the registrar’s post lying vacant for over three months.

Delhi Medical Council in state of paralysis with ₹2.5 crore payments stuck

The registrar, who also functions as the authorised signatory for all official transactions, has not been replaced since February 2025, leading to an escalating backlog of unpaid dues, officials said.

A council meeting held on Tuesday acknowledged the crisis, noting that the lack of an interim or officiating registrar had frozen essential operations. Draft minutes of the meeting, accessed by HT, describe the situation as a “critical administrative and financial paralysis.”

According to Delhi Medical Council Act, 1997, the registrar who also functions as the authorised signatory for all official transactions and has the power to authorise payment disbursements.

DMC is a statutory body responsible for regulating the practice of medicine in Delhi. Its functions include registering medical practitioners, maintaining a register of registered practitioners, and regulating their professional conduct. DMC’s office is situated on IT Park Road in Metro Vihar on a property owned by DMRC.

The backlog includes ₹30 lakh in unpaid Goods and Services Tax (GST) and ₹17 lakh in rent for April 1 (they have to pay three months’ advance rent) owed to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). “If the dues are not cleared, the council risks being charged 24% annual interest on delayed rent, with DMRC also demanding ₹72 lakh in overdue rent interest from 2019 to 2021,” a DMC member said on condition of anonymity.

Employee salaries for March 2025, amounting to ₹15 lakh, are also pending, alongside ₹15 lakh owed for a Life Insurance Corporation policy covering leave encashment and gratuity.

The deadline to file a GST appeal involving ₹55 lakh has lapsed, potentially inviting punitive action, the member cited above added.

There are growing concerns about digital disruptions as well, DMC members said.

Payments for internet lease charges due from April 28 remain pending. Additional dues listed in the meeting minutes include ₹23 lakh owed to a vendor, ₹7 lakh for an annual maintenance contract renewal, and ₹28.8 lakh earmarked for development-related expenses.

The crisis began when the tenure of former registrar Dr Girish Tyagi ended in February. A council member told HT that as of now, DMC has recommended Dr Vijay Dhankar for the position and forwarded his name to the Delhi government for approval, but officials say they are still awaiting a response.

Repeated attempts to obtain comments from Delhi government officials regarding the delay went unanswered.