On June 13, 2018, Dr. Raghuram Rao Akkinepally served a Charge Sheet against Mr. PJP Singh Waraich, who was then serving as the Registrar of NIPER Mohali. However, within hours, Dr. V. M. Katoch, Chairman of the Board of Governors, intervened and worked overnight to draft an unprecedented order revoking Mr. Waraich’s suspension. Under the NIPER Act, 1998, the Chairman had no authority to intervene in this matter, as suspension did not constitute a penalty against which an appeal could be made and entertained.
Charges Against Mr. Waraich
The charges outlined in Part I included:
- Personal Interest & Undue Favors:
- Exhibited undue favoritism, particularly in pushing benefits under the Personal Promotion Scheme (PPS) for close associates in the Registrar’s office, including Manoj Kumar Sood (Stenographer).
- Openly defied the authority of the Director, Dr. Akkinepally.
- Provided undue favor to a former Consultant (Legal).
- Expedited the appointment of a security personnel to retain control over the Institute’s security.
Irregular Employee Postings & Transfers:
- Arbitrarily transferred employees without authorization.
- Proposed an unqualified Assessment Committee to upgrade Rajwinder Singh, Head of the Computer Center, to Pay Band-4 with a Grade Pay of Rs. 8700 in violation of NIPER statutes.
Interference in Vigilance & CBI Case:
- Submitted misleading reports to the Vigilance Department to protect himself in a CBI case.
- Manipulated official records to push his own case under the PPS.
Abuse of Authority & Insubordination:
- Used derogatory and threatening language against superior officers.
- Openly defied the Director’s decisions, particularly in the case of Mrs. Bhuvan Gautam’s absorption into NIPER, despite prior rejection.
- Circumvented proper channels by seeking approval from the Chairman BOG/Ministry, which was not permitted under NIPER statutes.
Unauthorized Actions & Misuse of Position:
- Allowed an ex-employee, Hari Mohan (Legal Consultant), to retain residential accommodation without informing the Director.
- Concealed prior representations made by the ex-employee and orchestrated new ones to cover up his misconduct.
Irregular PPS Benefits & Self-Favoritism:
- Strongly pushed for PPS benefits for select employees without following statutory provisions.
- Unilaterally recommended and constituted an assessment committee without proper approvals.
- Pursued his own PPS benefits before inviting similar claims from other employees.
Defiance of Director & Government Authorities:
- Sent unauthorized communications to various institutions and government departments, challenging the legitimacy of Dr. Akkinepally’s selection as Director.
- Issued a report to the Under Secretary Vigilance, bypassing the Director, to protect himself from CBI scrutiny.
Unauthorized Employee Appointments & Transfers:
- Granted unauthorized additional charge to Ms. Uma, Stenographer C, in violation of hierarchy.
- Conducted an unsanctioned selection process for a Security Supervisor, appointing Gursewak Singh in undue haste despite a pending Writ Petition regarding outsourced staff regularization.
- Approved the transfer of Smt. Vijay K. Sharma (Asst. Grade I) without routing it through the Competent Authority.
Irregular Promotions & Assessments:
- Proposed an assessment committee for Rajwinder Singh without subject matter experts.
- Included a Professor from Biotechnology instead of IT in the committee, violating NIPER statutes.
Misuse of Official Accommodation & Conflict of Interest:
- Used official residential accommodation for personal commercial activities.
- Promoted his family’s business, “Joe’s Designer Cakes,” from his NIPER residence.
- Advertised and invited participation in baking courses run by his wife, with messages indicating “NIPER COMPLEX, Sector 67, Chandigarh” as the business address.
Despite the gravity of these charges, Dr. Katoch and Mr. Rajneesh Tingal ensured Dr. Akkinepally’s removal, facilitating Mr. Waraich’s reinstatement as Registrar. Meanwhile, the Punjab and Haryana High Court ruled that the stay granted by the Division Bench was irrelevant, as Mr. Waraich’s initial five-year tenure had already elapsed in July 2018. This ruling implied that he should have been removed in 2016 itself.
Dr. Akkinepally had no choice but to suspend Mr. Waraich to prevent interference in administrative functioning, evidence tampering, intimidation of witnesses, and further misconduct. The serious nature of these allegations highlights the extent of unauthorized actions and abuse of power by Mr. Waraich, yet no formal inquiry was ever conducted. The person was facilitated to join back to further tamper records etc.
That’s the tragedy of our investigating agencies and the functioning of the judiciary which needs a massive overhaul by the present government at the Centre. (To be concluded)
