CIC Slams NIPER Mohali for Misleading RTI Reply

The Central Information Commission (CIC) has pulled up the Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) of the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Mohali, for furnishing what it called an “evasive and misleading” reply to a Right to Information (RTI) application. In its order dated 27 June 2025, the CIC directed the CPIO to…

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NIPER Regularization Scam?

How the Department of Pharmaceuticals Undermined Accountability at NIPER The unfolding saga at NIPER Mohali offers a disturbing glimpse into how powerful bureaucrats and pliable administrators can bury institutional integrity, stonewall due process, and reward questionable conduct — all while funded by public money. At the heart of the controversy is Mr. Jitender Kumar Chandel,…

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NIPER’s Regularisation Scam: Part I

The Case of Dr. U.C. Banerjee, Abuse of Process and Power in NIPER Mohali In an alarming case of institutional betrayal, Dr. Uttam Chand Banerjee—former Dean at the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Mohali, and a scientist facing serious plagiarism allegations—was shockingly regularised as a permanent employee through what appears to be…

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Neglected Thrust Areas of Research: NIPER

The demand for establishing an IIT-like institution at the national level for pharmacy education in India dates back to 1975. After receiving several representations from pharmacy professionals, the Government of India gave its consent. A formal announcement was made by the then Prime Minister, Late Rajiv Gandhi, while inaugurating the Indian Pharmaceutical Congress in 1985….

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RTI as a Tool for Vendetta? A Case of Misuse at NIPER Mohali

In theory, the Right to Information (RTI) Act is a powerful tool to promote transparency and accountability in public institutions. But what happens when this instrument of good governance is weaponised for personal vendetta and institutional sabotage? My experience at the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Mohali, illustrates how RTIs can be…

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Control, Credit, and Cost: The Scientific Instrument Monopoly at NIPER Mohali

During my tenure as Director of NIPER, I observed a deeply troubling trend — senior professors exercising exclusive control over costly scientific instruments, purchased with public money, for personal academic gain. My proposal to centralize all such equipment under a single Central Instrumentation Laboratory (CIL) met stiff resistance from within the institute. The reason? Control…

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Parliament Ignored, Court Misled: NIPER

The untold story of how Rajneesh Tingal, a former Joint Secretary in the Department of Pharmaceuticals, dismantled parliamentary oversight, misrepresented court directives, and concentrated unchecked power in India’s premier pharmaceutical institutions. In a shocking saga of bureaucratic overreach, manipulation, and institutional subversion, Rajneesh Tingal, former Joint Secretary in the Department of Pharmaceuticals, stands accused of…

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