HC tells ministry to decide on contract appointments in NIPER

Tribune News Service:Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the Union Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers to take a final call on abolishing the contract system of appointment in the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER).

The directions, to be complied with by the Ministry within four months from receiving the order’s copy, came on a petition by the NIPER Research Employees Welfare Association.

It was stated in the writ petition that three resolutions were passed by the Board of Governors of NIPER for abolishing the contract system, so that the employees already working could be treated as regular employees. Yet, the Government of India had not taken any final decision in the matter. The petitioner-association stated that its members, working on non-teaching (scientific and technical) posts in the NIPER on contract post for the last so many years, were not being promoted to higher posts, since they were not holding regular posts.

The petitioner-association also stated that it has also submitted a number of representations to the respondents for abolishing the contract system.

Caveat 

It is pertinent to place on record here that there has been large scale misappropriation of several crores of rupees, released to NIPER under the 11^th Five Year Plan (2007-2012). A NIPER faculty, Dr. Parikshit Bansal has already moved the Hon’ble High Court videCWP-14537 of 2012 and notices were issued to CBI and CVC in the matter which is now listed for hearing on 8-3-2013. Contractual nature of appointments has been cited as one of the major reasons why people remained silent and were unable to raise their voice against the corrupt practices taking place at NIPER. 

The relevant para from the petition (Annexure P-16, page 145-146) is reproduced below:

 “…owing to ‘contractual nature of appointments’ even if a person comes to know of any wrongdoing, it becomes very difficult for him to complain because of fear of ‘termination’ of his services. Risk of victimization, loss of job and damage to one’s career are harsh realities which prevents individuals from speaking out against wrong doings and encourage ‘unbridled corruption’ by few individuals..”.