I want to guard my reputation, says top scientist, RA Mashelkar

NEW DELHI: Upset with the personal attacks on him following allegations of plagiarism, India's top scientist, RA Mashelkar, has put in his papers.

Portions of a report on patents law amendments, prepared by a technical expert committee headed by him, had allegedly been plagiarised.

In his resignation letter to Industrial Policy and Promotion Secretary Ajay Dua, Mashelkar said he was hurt by the personal attacks which were maligning his image.

“I am deeply pained by the fact that doubts, explicit or implicit, have been expressed about my integrity, competence and motives,” he wrote. “I want to guard my reputation and, hence, step aside. I am relinquishing the position of committee chairman.”

Mashelkar was chairman of the Technical Expert Group on Patent Law Issues whose 56-page report, submitted to the government last December, was found to have been lifted, in parts, from a November 2005 paper, entitled Limiting the Patentability of Pharmaceutical Inventions and Micro-organisms: A TRIPs Compatibility Review, by Shamnad Basheer of Oxford University.

On February 19, Mashelkar withdrew the report on grounds of “technical inaccuracy and plagiarism”, and sought three months to resubmit it. 

The committee was set up in 2005 to look into whether limiting the grant of patents for pharmaceutical substances to new chemical entities or new medical entities involving one or more inventive steps, and excluding micro organisms from patenting, would be compatible with the World Trade Organisation's Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement.

The recommendations of this technical expert group were significant for multinational pharmaceutical companies and the Indian generic drugs industry.

Four other renowed experts in the committee - Professors Asis Dattam, NR Madhava Menon, Goverdhan Mehta and Moolchand Sharma - will continue and submit the corrected report to the government by May.

Mashelkar has, however, said he is willing to offer advice, knowledge and expertise to the government whenever the need arises. In an interview to DNA, an emotional Mashelkar said after serving the nation for 64 years, he deserved better than being called a "pro-multinational". "I am scientist, not a politician," he said.

"I was traveling when this issue came to light," he clarified. "A sub-committee, while drafting the report, picked up a few paragraphs verbatim from another report about which I had no idea.

On my return, I took help from Professor Anil Gupta at IIM Ahmedabad, who has the software to detect such things. I checked and found the allegations to be correct. I discussed it with the other members and decided to correct the mistake. I deeply appreciate the opportunity given to me by the government to remove the discrepancies."
Mashelkar added: "But doubts about my integrity, competence and motives are being raised. I am being called a pro-multinational. I would like to relinquish the post than face personal attacks. I have right to dignity. I am no more a government servant to worry about such things. I am a private citizen and a common man now. Hence, I can refuse to take any such agonizing remarks without any worry now," said the eminent scientist adding he would like to get back to his research work now.

The former Director General of Central Scientific Industrial Research (CSIR) and country's one of the most decorated scientist also clarified that this was not the first time a report has been lifted verbatim.

"Such things have happened in the past also," Mashelkar said. He reminded of a similar incident faced by the National Committee of Science and Technology (S&T) set up by late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

"Some parts of that report were lifted from a policy paper prepared by Sussex University. However, when brought into the notice of experts, the report was corrected and that went on to become one of the best report on S&T in the country."