A GP cleared of indecently assaulting a female patient is still banned from prac-tising medicine more than seven months after a jury said he was innocent.

Tanuku Venkata Suryanarayana, 56, was found not guilty of the allegation involving a 17-year-old girl last December.

But the General Medical Council (GMC) has still to hold its own investigation into matters relating to the doctor. Now the GMC has reaffirmed its ban and asked for an extension.

The married father of two was suspended from his duties as a GP at Accrington's Eagle Street surgery after the allegation was first made in February last year.

The decision means that Dr Suryanarayana, of Bradyll Court, Brockhall Village, will not be allowed to work in medicine until at least September 30 or until a later date decided by the High Court.

The GMC's Interim Orders Panel said it had reviewed the case and decided that the order for suspension imposed on his registration on March 8 2005 should remain.

It also notified the GMC's Registrar that an application should be made to the High Court for an extension of the interim order under the Medical Act 1983.

No details of the circumstances leading to GMC's latest steps are given in the decision, which has just been published.

However, a spokesman for the GMC said cases such as this are referred to the Interim Orders Panel when a doctor is facing allegations of such a nature that it may be necessary for the protection of members of the public, or otherwise be in the public interest or in the interests of the doctor, for the doctor's registration to be restricted whilst the allegations are resolved.

The spokesman said: "Considerations taken into account included preserving public trust in the medical profession and maintaining good standards of conduct and performance."

David Rogers, of Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Primary Care Trust, said: "The GMC judgment is one we have to take into account and we acknowledge we will have to wait for their investigation to proceed. We have put in locum arrangements so that patients continue to get a high standard of practice."

The Eagle Street surgery declined to comment.