Refuting allegations of interfering with AIIMS' functioning, the Centre has told the Supreme Court that the autonomy was for the institution and not for an individual, a veiled reference to institute's former director P Venugopal who was removed recently.

"The autonomy relates to the aims and objective of the institution. The autonomy is of the institute and not of an individual," the Centre said in its affidavit.

The Centre's response came on petitions filed by Venugopal and the Faculty Association of the Institute alleging that government was interfering in institute's autonomy and parliament's decision to fix the director's superannuation age at 65 was only to remove Venugopal.

 The government also reiterated the importance of its role in the affairs of the institute and said "it cannot be expected of the government to pay huge funds and not have any say in the management and affairs."

"The autonomy is not of an individual and, in any case, cannot be a tool for its employees to avoid accountability. The objective of autonomy nowhere excludes accountability," it added.