Sources at NIPER revealed that since the director was not in office on Friday, no decision to revoke Waraich’s suspension was taken. (File Photo)
A day after the director of the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) suspended the registrar, Wing Commander (Retd) PJP Singh Waraich, the Chairman of the Board of Governors (BoG), V M Katoch, sent a communique to the director on Friday, asking him to revoke the order of suspension. But as the director was in Delhi, no decision could be taken on the issue.
NIPER Director Dr Raghurama Rao Akkinepally was in Delhi to meet the senior officials of the Department of Pharmaceutical under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers. Despite repeated attempts, he was not available for comment. It was mentioned in the letter sent to the director, a copy of which is with Chandigarh Newsline, that Waraich’s suspension was done with malafide intent and it should be revoked immediately.
Waraich, on the other hand, said he went to the institute but did not work. He added that he had approached the BoG after receiving his suspension order following which the BoG chairman sent the letter to the director. “I had appealed against the unlawful order which was issued with biased attitude and malafide intentions. I have resumed the charge on Friday morning,” Waraich told Chandigarh Newsline.
Sources at NIPER revealed that since the director was not in office on Friday, no decision to revoke Waraich’s suspension was taken. “Waraich came to office on Friday. BoG could not interfere in the day-to-day routine work of the institute. But now, it is up to the director and senior officials of the ministry to take a call on the issue,” said a senior faculty member of the institute, requesting anonymity.
Meanwhile, the 65-page chargesheet against Waraich, a copy of which is with Chandigarh Newsline, mentioned that he used the name of the institute to promote his wife’s business. The chargesheet mentioned that Waraich committed several acts of omission and commission and allowed the use of official residential accommodation allotted to him for commercial activities and promotion of individual interest of his own family and had even been promoting products manufactured by his own family members in various messages sent by him to various people, albeit without taking the permission of a competent authority.