Dr. Raghuram Rao Akkinepally issued a Charge Sheet to Mr. Jitender Kumar Chandel on July 2, 2019. At the time, Mr. Chandel was serving as Deputy Registrar (Finance & Accounts). However, Dr. V. M. Katoch, as Chairman of the Board of Governors, intervened. Despite the serious charges against Mr. Chandel, Dr. Katoch succeeded in removing Dr. Akkinepally. Subsequently, Dr. S.J.S. Flora, who was holding the additional charge as Director of NIPER Mohali, designated Mr. Chandel as Officiating Registrar.
One major charge against Mr. Chandel was that he issued a fraudulent local residential certificate to the then Registrar, Mr. PJP Singh Waraich. On December 14, 2016, while officiating as Deputy Registrar (A&P), Mr. Chandel issued this certificate, which enabled Mr. Waraich to evade tax by benefiting from lower registration fees in Chandigarh (UT) compared to Mohali. Although Mr. Waraich was residing in the NIPER Mohali campus with official accommodation, the certificate falsely stated that he lived at House No. 3074, Sector 21-D, Chandigarh. This manipulation allowed a vehicle that should have been registered in Mohali to be registered in Chandigarh, with the number CH01BK5169.
Further, Mr. Waraich was suspended from June 13, 2018, to July 31, 2018, and his suspension was never revoked. Despite this, Mr. Chandel, as Deputy Registrar (Finance & Accounts), released his full salary without deducting charges such as electricity, house rent, leave encashment, and transport allowance. Additionally, he processed the salary release without obtaining a Non-Employment Certificate, thereby causing financial loss to the government exchequer.
In another instance, Mr. Chandel unilaterally approved salary enhancements for some workers without securing financial approval from the Director or competent authority. His unauthorized exercise of financial powers led to financial losses for the Institute. For example, one attendant was upgraded from the semi-skilled category to the skilled category without the Director’s approval.
As Officiating Registrar, Mr. Chandel also submitted an incorrect written statement in response to CWP No. 28630 of 2018 before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, falsely claiming that the Chairman of the Board of Governors was the appointing authority for the Director of NIPER S.A.S. Nagar. In reality, the appointing authority is the President of India, as the Visitor.
Additionally, Mr. Chandel released a transport allowance of ₹7,000 per month and dearness allowance to Mr. Waraich, who by misrepresenting facts, got approved transport allowance from Dr. USN Murthy who was given additional charge of NIPER Mohali as Dr. Murthy headed NIPER Guwahati. However, the correct approval authority was not mentioned, and the sanction was invalid. Mr. Chandel was aware that such payments required the appointing authority’s approval, yet he failed to follow due diligence. Mr. Waraich regularly used an official vehicle, making the transport allowance unwarranted. Despite this, Mr. Chandel did not bring the matter to the competent authority—the Board of Governors—resulting in financial loss to the exchequer.
After taking charge, Dr. S. J. S. Flora designated Mr. Chandel as Officiating Registrar and made him the custodian of official records. However, no inquiry was ever conducted against Mr. Chandel. By now, crucial records may have already been destroyed.
At present, Mr. Waraich serves as the Registrar of NIPER Mohali, while Mr. Chandel continues as Deputy Registrar (Finance & Accounts).
The Larger Issue
- Issuing a fake certificate doesn’t prevent someone from becoming the custodian of records at NIPER Mohali.
- Submitting false statements before the Hon’ble High Court doesn’t stop such individuals from continuing to submit documents on behalf of NIPER Mohali.
- Misusing taxpayers’ money without proper checks and balances doesn’t result in removal from the post of Deputy Registrar (Finance & Accounts).
- Exercising financial powers unauthorizedly doesn’t lead to any inquiry or action.
Despite two writ petitions pending against Mr. Chandel, the Hon’ble High Court did not intervene, citing that he was not holding a “public office”.
When a Director orders suspension, no inquiry is conducted. When the Registrar and Deputy Registrar collude, no action is taken. When a Chairman of the Board of Governors, like Dr. V. M. Katoch, defends such employees, accountability is non-existent. Instead, these individuals continue to hold key positions, even overseeing statutory functions under the NIPER Act, of 1998.
