EXHIBIT 31.1
                                  CERTIFICATION

         I, Bernard J. Berk, certify that:

1.       I have  reviewed  this  annual  report on Form 10-K for the year  ended
         March 31, 2006 of Elite Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the "registrant");

2.       Based  on my  knowledge,  this  report  does  not  contain  any  untrue
         statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary
         to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances  under which
         such  statements  were made, not misleading  with respect to the period
         covered by this report;

3.       Based on my knowledge,  the financial  statements,  and other financial
         information  included in this  report,  fairly  present in all material
         respects the financial condition,  results of operations and cash flows
         of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4.       The  registrant's  other  certifying  officer and I are responsible for
         establishing  and  maintaining  disclosure  controls and procedures (as
         defined in Exchange Act Rules  13a-15(e)  and  15d-15(e))  and internal
         control  over  financial  reporting  (as defined in Exchange  Act Rules
         13a015(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:

(a)      Designed  such  disclosure  controls  and  procedures,  or caused  such
         disclosure   controls  and   procedures   to  be  designed   under  our
         supervision,  to  ensure  that  material  information  relating  to the
         registrant,  including its consolidated subsidiaries,  is made known to
         us by others within those entities,  particularly  during the period in
         which this report is being prepared;

(b)      Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such
         internal  control over  financial  reporting  to be designed  under our
         supervision,  to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability
         of financial reporting and the preparation of financial  statements for
         external  purposes in accordance  with  generally  accepted  accounting
         principles;

(c)      Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls and
         procedures  and  presented  in this  report our  conclusions  about the
         effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures,  as of the end
         of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

(d)      Disclosed  in this  report  any  change  in the  registrant's  internal
         control over financial  reporting that occurred during the registrant's
         fourth fiscal  quarter that has materially  affected,  or is reasonably
         likely to materially  affect,  the  registrant's  internal control over
         financial reporting.

5.       The registrant's other certifying  officer and I have disclosed,  based
         on our most  recent  evaluation  of  internal  control  over  financial
         reporting,  to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of the
         registrant's  board of directors (or persons  performing the equivalent
         functions):

(a)      All significant  deficiencies and material  weaknesses in the design or
         operation  of  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  which are
         reasonably  likely to  adversely  affect  the  registrant's  ability to
         record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

(b)      Any fraud,  whether or not material,  that involves management or other
         employees  who have a  significant  role in the  registrant's  internal
         control over financial reporting.

Date:  June 29, 2006                        /s/ Bernard J. Berk
                                            ------------------------------------
                                            Bernard J. Berk,
                                            Chief Executive Officer