Mashelkar Resigned!!!

Eminent Scientist Dr. R.A. Mashelkar has resigned as the chairman of the Technical Expert Group on Patent Laws in light of a “personalized attack” against him that questioned his integrity, competence and motives. He submitted his resignation on March 15, 2007 a day after the Left parties alleged that vital portions of the report were an “act of plagiarism and cheating” and were aimed at protecting the interest of multinationals. CPI (M) leaders had wanted the Mashelkar report to be rejected and felt that the Technical Expert Group had “gone beyond its terms of reference”. He said the four colleagues in the Technical Expert Group, whose eminence and integrity were beyond any question, could undertake the remaining task of reviewing and rectifying the technical inaccuracies in Mashelkar report. In his resignation letter, Dr. Mashelkar wrote “I want to guard my reputation and, hence, step aside. I am relinquishing the position of committee chairman.”