Dr. Raghuram Rao Akkinepally, Director, flags gross administrative failures and possible misconduct by Registrar PJP Singh Waraich at NIPER
In a detailed submission to the Board of Governors, Dr. Raghuram Rao Akkinepally, Director of the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), raised serious concerns regarding the conduct and performance of Registrar PJP Singh Waraich. Citing multiple instances of negligence, mismanagement, and questionable integrity, Dr. Akkinepally painted a troubling picture of how key administrative functions were being mishandled under Mr. Waraich’s tenure.
One of the earliest red flags emerged from Mr. Waraich’s claim to a transport allowance, citing the use of his personal vehicle for official litigation work. However, records revealed that he consistently used the Institute’s official vehicle for such duties, raising suspicions of false claims.
Mr. Waraich also presided over questionable procurement decisions. For instance, IP phones were purchased in bulk for various departments, including residential units. Despite the expenditure, these phones remained uninstalled for an extended period until the Director intervened and instructed immediate installation.
Photo caption: The Car of the former Officiating Director (Dr. K K Bhutani) was burnt by students as their issues remained unresolved
A similar case involved a barcoding machine purchased for Central Stores, intended to digitize inventory tracking. Yet, it lay idle, gathering dust, until the Director again had to step in. Even then, its operational status remained uncertain.
Perhaps the most alarming instance of financial irregularity surfaced in the campus Wi-Fi upgrade project. Initially budgeted at ₹2 crore, the cost ballooned to ₹2.36 crore following major specification changes. Upon investigation, Dr. Akkinepally found that several areas covered under the new specifications did not even require Wi-Fi. Rather than cost reductions due to revised specifications, the project cost inexplicably increased.
Further scrutiny revealed a nexus between Mr. Waraich and Mr. Rajwinder Singh, the individual coordinating the Wi-Fi project. Email communications exposed their collusion, raising serious ethical and procedural concerns.
Mr. Rajwinder Singh—despite being a recently appointed and questionably regularized employee—was granted full access to the Institute’s e-Tender portal. This allowed him undue control over procurement processes, with him often serving as the sole Indenter. Such centralization of authority, especially in the hands of someone without proper checks, is highly irregular.
The circumstances of Mr. Rajwinder Singh’s own appointment also raise concerns. Recruited only months prior, he was rapidly regularized and awarded a pay scale on par with faculty members, despite lacking a Ph.D. or teaching experience. His salary exceeded that of several qualified teaching faculty, a situation the Director deemed “clearly against the rules.”
Mr. Waraich’s housing requests also drew criticism. He lobbied for a Type-6 faculty residence and, even before taking possession, ordered a full replacement of electric wiring and tiles, despite the house having recently served as a Director’s residence. The extensive refurbishment raised eyebrows, particularly in light of allegations that he was running a private cake business from the premises, under a family member’s name. Emails suggested the involvement of other employees in this enterprise.
In routine matters, too, Mr. Waraich’s performance was found wanting. In one instance, his office denied receipt of documents that were shown as received twice. In another, he failed to ensure equitable distribution of legal cases among empaneled lawyers, favoring a select few. When the Director assigned a case to a different lawyer, Mr. Waraich reportedly escalated the issue to senior officials, leading to unwarranted charges against Dr. Akkinepally himself.
Perhaps most shockingly, the Institute’s reservation roster—a critical document for compliance with government norms—had not been updated since 2011. It was only in October 2018, on the eve of a report to the Department of Pharmaceuticals, that this oversight was discovered. Seven years of neglect speak volumes about Mr. Waraich’s administrative priorities.
