137 vacant faculty posts at AIIMS-N: HC seeks Centre’s reply in 3 weeks

Nagpur: The Nagpur bench of Bombay high court on Thursday sought a detailed response from the Central govt over large-scale faculty vacancies at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Nagpur, observing that repeated recruitment attempts did not yield results.The PIL was registered following a TOI report on Jan 2, 2026, highlighting vacant positions across various AIIMS institutions. The matter was heard by a division bench comprising Justice Anil Kilor and Justice Raj Wakode.
Court-appointed amicus curiae and senior counsel Jugal Kishore Gilda, assisted by Shaunak Kothekar, informed the bench that the recruitment process at AIIMS Nagpur was ongoing for nearly 1.5 years. Despite initiating the process five times, the vacancies remained unfilled, he said, adding that the institute faced several other administrative and functional challenges.According to information obtained under the Right to Information Act (RTI) and cited in the report, 137 out of 373 sanctioned professor posts at AIIMS Nagpur are vacant, accounting for approximately 36.7% of the total strength. The shortage, it was submitted, has implications for patient care, surgical services, intensive care units, and medical education.The govt, represented by Mugdha Chandurkar, told the court that compared to some other AIIMS institutions, the Nagpur institute has relatively fewer vacancies and that several positions were already filled. Directing that all issues be placed on record in writing, the bench asked the amicus to submit a detailed note within two weeks. The Centre was granted 3 weeks thereafter to file its response. The matter was posted for further hearing after three weeks.